UNICEF: 4 Million Children in Afghanistan Deprived of Education

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) states that four million children in Afghanistan are deprived of education. This announcement comes as it marks 1,300 days since girls' schools above grade six were closed. In a recent report, UNICEF highlights that many of these children are out of school due to the lack of proper school buildings, clean water, hygiene facilities, and especially due to a shortage of professional teachers, particularly female teachers.

The report further states that in some areas of the country, children have been unable to continue their education due to the economic hardships their families face, often being forced to work to support their households.

UNICEF adds that with the start of the new academic year and the continued ban on girls' education, around 400,000 more girls have been deprived of their right to education, bringing the total number of girls out of school to 2.2 million.

This comes at a time when nearly four years have passed since approximately 80% of girls above the sixth grade have been banned from attending school.

Meanwhile, some girls who have been waiting for the reopening of schools and universities for nearly four years say that the ongoing restrictions on education have left their future uncertain.

Suraya, a resident of Jalalabad, says that due to poverty and deep depression, she has forgotten much of what she had learned in school. She was in the eighth grade when the gates of education were closed to girls. Now, she regrets that she can no longer step into a classroom.

“I was in eighth grade when I was deprived of education due to the restrictions. I had high hopes and wanted to become a prosecutor in the future, but all those dreams are fading day by day. Years have passed, and there is no sign that schools will reopen,” she said.

Suraya is now learning tailoring at a garment shop. She says that since girls were barred from education, she had no other option but to learn tailoring.

Khatera Mohammadi, a resident of Kabul, was supposed to start eighth grade nearly four years ago. However, with the school closures, her dream remained unfulfilled. She had hoped to become a doctor, but now her only goal is to earn enough to provide food for her family.

“When the schools were closed, I fell into deep depression. The dreams I once had were shattered. Now I work at a carpet weaving center, earning about 4,000 Afghanis a month. I still hope the schools will reopen for girls so we can serve our people through education,” she said.

According to her, many girls who have been unable to go to school are now suffering from severe depression and have been forced into hard labor such as carpet weaving, selling handmade items on the streets, and working in tailoring workshops.

Women’s rights activist Torpekai Momand says that Islam places no restrictions on women's education, calling the Taliban’s bans unjust. She considers education essential for the progress of society and urges the international community to put pressure on the Taliban to lift restrictions on girls' education.

“If the doors of schools and universities are not opened to girls, it will lead to devastating consequences. Many female professionals—teachers, doctors, and other educated women—have already left the country. In a few years, we will have no skilled women left. We urge that girls be allowed to receive an education,” said Momand.

Earlier, UNICEF’s executive director warned that if the ban on girls’ education continues until 2030, over four million girls will be deprived of education beyond the primary level.

Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are banned from studying beyond sixth grade, leaving them deprived of their fundamental rights.

At the same time, the World Bank reports that due to the Taliban’s ban on girls’ secondary schools and universities, many projects in Afghanistan have been suspended, causing significant damage to the country.

Due to restrictions on women's education and employment, economic difficulties, forced marriages, and domestic violence, there has been a recent increase in suicide cases among women.

Meanwhile, during a United Nations Security Council session, representatives of several countries described the situation of women in Afghanistan as alarming and called on the Taliban to respect and protect women's rights.