Afghan Girls’ Education Crisis: 2.4 Million Barred From School, UNESCO Demands Urgent Action

Noti g
that
Afgha ista
emai s
the
o ly
cou t y
i
the
wo ld
to
fo mally
p ohibit
access
to
educatio
fo
gi ls
a d
wome
beyo d
the
p ima y
level,
UNESCO
o
Tuesday
called
fo
the
full
esto atio
of
the
ight
to
educatio ,
wa i g
that
the
cou t y’s
ba
isks
causi g
“i eve sible
ha m”
a d
decades
of
lost
pote tial
of
a
e ti e
ge e atio .

Acco di g
to
a
stateme t
eleased
by
the
U ited
Natio s
body,
as
of
2026,
a
estimated
2.4
millio
gi ls
ac oss
Afgha ista
emai
locked
out
of
class ooms
owi g
to
the
g im
campaig
lau ched
by
the
Taliba
i
2021,
violati g
the
ights
of
gi ls
a d
wome ,
especially
thei
ight
to
educatio .

ALSO
READ:

UGC
NET
2026
A swe
Key:
NTA
To
Release
Respo se
Sheet
Soo ,
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What
Ca didates
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“These
est ictio s
a e
eve si g
two
decades
of
p og ess
i
expa di g
access
to
educatio :
while
access
to
schooli g
fo
gi ls
was
seve ely
limited
i
2001,
by
2021
ea ly
o e
millio
gi ls
we e
e olled
i
seco da y
educatio ,”
UNESCO
stated.

UNESCO
co dem ed
the
o goi g
systemic
disc imi atio
a d
u de sco ed
the
huma
toll
of
this
e fo ced
sile ce,
decla i g
that
the
ba
di ectly
th eate s
the
me tal
a d
physical
well-bei g
of
you g
wome ,
heighte s
the
isk
of
child
ma iage
a d
deepe s
pove ty
i
a
cou t y
whe e
ea ly
half
the
populatio
lives
below
the
pove ty
li e.

“The
co ti ued
exclusio
of
gi ls
a d
wome
f om
educatio
co stitutes
a
g ave
violatio
of
thei
fu dame tal
huma
ight
to
lea
a d
isks
co dem i g
Afgha ista
to
decades
of
lost
pote tial,
deepe i g
pove ty,
a d
i eve sible
ha m.
At
a
time
whe
ea ly
half
of
Afgha s
live
below
the
pove ty
li e,
de yi g
gi ls
a d
wome
access
to
educatio
a d
est icti g
thei
employme t
fu the
u de mi es
thei
ability
to
suppo t
thei
families
a d
co t ibute
to
the
cou t y’s
eco omic
futu e,”
the
stateme t
ead.

Fu the mo e,
UNESCO
highlighted
that
the
est ictio
has
also
c eated
a
b oade
c isis
i
the
school
system
by
p ohibiti g
female
teache s
f om
i st ucti g
boys;
ha mi g
the
quality
of
educatio
fo
you g
boys
as
well.

“This
exclusio
also
has
ha mful
co seque ces
o
the
wellbei g,
me tal
a d
physical
health
of
gi ls
a d
wome ,
while
i c easi g
the
isks
of
ea ly
ma iage.
The
de
facto
autho ities’
decisio
to
p ohibit
female
teache s
f om
teachi g
boys
fu the
exace bates
teache
sho tages
a d
u de mi es
the
quality
of
educatio
fo
all,”
UNESCO
stated.

To
cou te
the
systemic
ba ,
UNESCO,
alo gside
pa t e s
i cludi g
the
Global
Pa t e ship
fo
Educatio ,
the
Eu opea
U io ,
a d
Ca ada,
is
delive i g
commu ity-based
lite acy,
vocatio al
t ai i g,
a d
psychosocial
suppo t.

“While
these
i itiatives
ca ot
eplace
access
to
fo mal
schooli g,
they
p ovide
vital
oppo tu ities
fo
lea i g
to
co ti ue
while
est ictio s
emai
i
place.
To
date,
ea ly
70,000
lea e s
have
be efited
f om
UNESCO’s
p og ammes,
73
pe
ce t
of
whom
a e
wome ,”
the
UN
age cy
oted,
highlighti g
ece t
studies
that
show
these
commu ity
classes
co t ibute
to
i c eased
household
i come
a d
imp oved
livelihoods.

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“Beyo d
thei
eco omic
be efits,
lea e s’
expe ie ce
shows
that
educatio
is
ot
o ly
about
acqui i g
k owledge;
it
is
also
a
sou ce
of
dig ity
a d
esilie ce
that
e ables
wome
a d
thei
families
to
bette
avigate
u ce tai ty
a d
sustai
hope
i
the
futu e,”
the
stateme t
added.

While
emphasisi g
that
i fo mal
classes
ca
eve
eplace
a
p ope
school
educatio ,
UNESCO
u ged
the
i te atio al
commu ity
to
stay
e gaged
a d
efuse
to
look
away
f om
the
st uggles
of
Afgha
wome .

“Afgha ista ‘s
gi ls
a d
wome
have
the
ight
to
lea ,
to
wo k,
to
move
f eely,
a d
to
shape
thei
ow
futu es,
a d
the
wo ld
must
ot
look
away
u til
thei
huma
ights
a e
esto ed,”
UNESCO
decla ed,
dema di g
a
immediate
a d
u co ditio al
e d
to
the
ba .

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