Taliban Denies 2.6 Million Afghan Girls Secondary Education For Five Years

Saturday marked five years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, with restrictions on women and girls hardening into a sweeping system.

UNICEF reported that more than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education during this period. The restrictions exclude women from education, employment, and public life. Girls remain barred from schooling beyond sixth grade, a prohibition in place since September 2021. Women have been barred from universities since December 2022. Afghanistan is the only country where secondary and higher education is effectively closed to girls and women, according to UNICEF.

Twenty-one million women now face the world’s most severe systemic and institutionalized denial of human rights. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated that "Five years may be brief in a country’s history, but it is a defining period in a girl’s life." Girls excluded from school face increased risks of child labor, abuse, early marriage, and gender-based violence, especially when families are affected by poverty or displacement.

UNICEF analysis published in April 2026 found Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female health workers by 2030. Women face tight controls on movement, dress, work, and access to public spaces, often requiring a male guardian to leave home. They are banned from public places including parks and excluded from most jobs.

UN human rights monitors warn against normalizing relations with the Taliban regime, stating its five-year rule has intensified oppression. The UN describes Afghanistan as the world’s worst country for women’s rights. Zala Ahmadi was one semester short of completing a computer science degree at Kabul University when the Taliban closed the door on her education.

The Taliban marked five years in power on Saturday, seeking to portray their government as in control. Armored Taliban vehicles took part in a parade outside the former US embassy in Kabul, displaying flags and banners. Taliban rulers and other officials gathered at Afghanistan’s traditional Loya Jirga assembly hall, celebrating their return to power and touting stability.