What You Need to Know
• Approximately 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan are currently prohibited from attending secondary school.
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization reported a 200,000 increase in excluded girls since last year.
• The Taliban government has faced international criticism for its ban on female education, which it considers an internal matter.
About 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan are currently barred from secondary school, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). On August 11, 2026, UNESCO reported that the number of girls denied access to secondary education has increased by 200,000 since the previous year, and this figure could rise to four million by 2030 if the Taliban government does not change its policies. Afghanistan remains the only country globally that prohibits girls and women from attending secondary schools and universities, leading to accusations of “gender apartheid” from the United Nations. The Taliban administration has also restricted women from teaching boys, resulting in a projected shortfall of over 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
Why It Matters
The situation in Afghanistan highlights the severe restrictions on women’s rights and education under the Taliban regime, which regained power in August 2021. The ban on female education has compounded existing challenges in the Afghan education system, where overcrowded and poorly equipped schools struggle to provide adequate learning conditions. With a national literacy rate of only 37 percent, the exclusion of girls from education poses significant long-term implications for the country’s development and economic stability. The international community, including several Muslim-majority nations, has called for the Taliban to reverse its policies, but the government has consistently refused, framing the issue as a domestic concern.
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