Girls' Education: More than 2.6 million Afghan girls remain barred from secondary school, while women continue to be excluded from universities, according to a new United Nations report on Afghanistan's education crisis. Despite families' persistent demand for schooling, the country's education system is under mounting strain from population growth, emergencies, underinvestment, and mass returns of Afghans from neighbouring countries.
The latest Afghanistan Education Situation report, published by UNESCO and UNICEF, said that the gap between Afghans' desire to learn and the system's capacity to provide education is widening. It warned that, without urgent action, an entire generation risks being left behind, with serious consequences for Afghanistan's recovery and development.
Girls Excluded From Classrooms
The report stated that since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, girls have been barred from attending school beyond sixth grade. The report estimated that more than 2.6 million girls are affected, leaving teenage girls without access to formal high-school education.
Women are also barred from universities, as per the global report. Higher-education enrolment has risen slightly to about 2,08,000 students in 2026, up from 1,89,000 in 2024, but remains far below the roughly 4,30,000 students enrolled in 2020, the United Nations' body noted.
Some alternatives remain available to girls, including community-based classes, literacy and skills programmes, distance learning and private tutoring. However, the UN agencies mentioned that these options are "far from sufficient" and cannot replace in-person schooling or fulfil girls' fundamental right to formal education.
A System Under Pressure
Afghanistan's school-age population, that is, children aged 7 to 18, rose from about 10.4 million in 2019 to 11.5 million in 2024. The report noted that this growth has intensified pressure on schools, teachers and education services that were already overstretched.
The crisis has been worsened by recurring emergencies, inadequate investment and the large-scale return of Afghans from Pakistan and Iran. More than one million returnees arrived in 2026 alone, including more than 245,000 children, adding further demand to an already fragile system.
Are Boys Affected Too?
Although girls face the most severe restrictions, boys' enrolment has also weakened, as per the document. Roughly 53 per cent of primary-school-age children are outside formal general education, while participation falls to 67 per cent at lower-secondary level and 79 per cent at upper-secondary level.
Families Still Seek Education
Despite the restrictions, Afghan families continue to pursue learning opportunities for their children, including in areas where schools are inaccessible, the report noted. The account highlighted that the exclusion of girls from secondary education does not reflect a lack of demand. A nationwide UN Women survey in 2025 found that 92 per cent of respondents considered girls' secondary education important, with strong support among women and men and across rural and urban communities.
Evidence from education programmes have also shown that families and communities continue to support girls' learning, although participation often depends on proximity, safety, the availability of female teachers, and socially acceptable learning environments.
"Barriers to participation reflect both household circumstances and limitations in education provision," the document said. Additionally, the cumulative effects are also beginning to erode Afghanistan's future female professional workforce.
