UN says 3.8 million girls remain out of school in Afghanistan

Amid strict restrictions imposed by the Taliban, nearly 3.8 million girls in Afghanistan continue to remain out of school, the United Nations (UN) said.

The global body has warned that the country risks creating a “lost generation,” Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported.

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Georgette Gagnon, the Acting head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), on Monday addressed the UN Security Council and said that an estimated 3.8 million girls between the age of seven and 18 years remain out of school in the country. This includes more than 2.6 million adolescent girls banned from secondary education, according to IANS.

Every year, about 250,000 additional girls are excluded from secondary education, Gagnon added. She further highlighted that these continued restrictions on women and girls can have a long-term impact on Afghanistan’s social and economic development.

Pointing out that Afghanistan has shown limited signs of economic stabilisation, the UN official said that up to 2.8 million Afghans are expected to return from neighbouring nations in 2026. This could put additional pressure on people, since they are already facing major unemployment, poverty and limited public services.

The UN estimates highlight that about 21.9 million people in the country will need humanitarian assistance this year.

Taliban has imposed restrictions on girls and women in Afghanistan since seizing power in 2021. They have banned girls from attending secondary schools after the sixth class and even prohibited them from studying at universities, besides imposing restrictions on employment as well as access to public spaces.