Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Pashto article.
The United Nations says half of primary school-age children remain outside of formal general education programs in Afghanistan.
Of the 11.5 million Afghan primary school-age children, only 6.6 million are enrolled in formal primary schools in 2025, UNESCO said in a statement on Wednesday.
After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban banned girls’ secondary and tertiary education in Afghanistan, with primary education the only level of formal schooling accessible to girls. Despite this, girls' enrollment in primary schools remains lower than boys.
According to a joint UNESCO and UNICEF report released in October, some 2.9 million girls were enrolled in formal primary schools last year, while 3.7 million boys were enrolled.
In addition to banning girls from secondary and university education, the Taliban also imposed repressive restrictions on women, barring them from working in government agencies and non-government organizations, going to public parks, beauty salons and gyms, and traveling long distances without a close male relative.
The U.N. reported in August that the Taliban ban excluded an estimated 2.4 million girls from secondary education.
Human Rights Watch in August reported that the Taliban’s ‘draconian’ policies made Afghanistan “one of the world’s gravest human rights crises, particularly for women and girls.”
The Taliban have not changed their position on girls’ education and women’s rights despite international pressure on the group.
The report said that although the enrolment of primary-age children is higher than it was in 2022, when the Taliban took power, it has not kept pace with the growing primary school-age population.
“The priority is to expand the education system’s capacity fast enough to meet growing demand,” the report added.
The report also said that learning quality is another issue that needs “urgent” attention.
In addition, early education is limited in Afghanistan. The report said that only one in 100 children aged three to four is in an early education program.
Despite multiple challenges, Afghan families and communities remain committed to their children’s education and continue to pursue education for their children, even in areas where schools are out of reach, said the U.N. report.