Taliban Bans Have Kept 1.4M Girls From School

UNESCO reports 80% of Afghan school-age girls are uneducated
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Aug 15, 2024 12:10 PM CDT
Taliban Bans Have Kept 1.4M Girls From School
Afghan school girls attend their classroom on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Saturday, March 25, 2023.   (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

The Taliban have kept 1.4 million Afghan girls out of school through official bans, according to a UN agency's report on Thursday. Afghanistan is the only nation where girls are barred from secondary and higher education, with the Taliban in 2021 saying their interpretation of Sharia law meant girls could not receive schooling past sixth grade. Male education remains unaffected.

Data shows the count has risen by of 300,000 girls since the last count was taken in April 2023, representing the number of girls to newly hit the age 12 limit. UNESCO said, "If we add the girls who were already out of school before the bans, there are now almost 2.5 million girls deprived of their right to education, representing 80% of Afghan school-age girls." The agency emphasized the broader impact on education, with 1.1 million fewer children in primary school since the Taliban took over.

UNESCO warned the Taliban has "almost wiped out" two decades of educational progress, endangering an entire generation's future. In 2022, 5.7 million boys and girls were in primary school, down from 6.8 million in 2019, partly due to the ban on female teachers teaching boys. The harsh economic conditions also contribute to low school attendance. "UNESCO is alarmed by the harmful consequences of this massive dropout rate," which could increase child labor and early marriage, the agency stated. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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