Politics UN: 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan banned from school
According to a Unesco report, at least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been banned from school from the seventh grade onwards since the Taliban came to power again three years ago. This is around 300,000 more girls than in the April 2023 census, according to the UN organization.
15.08.2024, 00:01
SDA
"Afghanistan is now the only country in the world that denies women and girls over the age of 12 access to education," said Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay. "The international community must continue to do everything in its power to ensure the unconditional reopening of schools and universities for Afghan girls and women."
In the past, the Taliban had announced that they would only suspend education for older girls until unspecified conditions were created. The public statements made some time ago by a few high-ranking Taliban in favor of women's education gave hope. But so far nothing has been done in this direction. "In just three years, the de facto authorities have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress in education in Afghanistan and the future of an entire generation is now at risk," the report said.
Long-term development of the country at risk
Another problem is the ban imposed by the Taliban on female teachers in boys' schools. This is exacerbating the already existing teacher shortage. Since 2021, the number of students enrolled at universities has also fallen by 53 percent, writes Unesco. The lack of university graduates will further exacerbate the development problems in the country with a population of around 40 million.
