As the current academic year nears an end and annual school exams begin, many schoolgirls plead for the reopening of classrooms shuttered by the Taliban.
The call comes as the world marks International Students’ Day, a stark reminder of the plight of Afghan girls denied access to education.
For more than 1,150 days, girls above the sixth grade have been barred from attending school under the Taliban’s rule. Now, as sixth-grade students prepare for their final exams, many face an uncertain future.
Khatira, a sixth-grade student, said she does not want her education to end and called on the Taliban to respect her and her peers’ right to learn.
“I’m in sixth grade, and final exams are approaching,” she said. “We ask the international community to ensure that schools reopen for us in the coming academic year. We have dreams and goals.”
Since the Taliban regained power in August 2021, schools and universities have been closed to Afghan girls and women, prompting widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and global leaders. UNESCO reports that 1.4 million girls have been denied education under the Taliban, with an additional 300,000 girls joining their ranks in 2024 alone due to the continued ban.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned that if the Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education persist through 2030, more than four million Afghan girls will be deprived of schooling.
On Sunday, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, described education as a form of “modern jihad,” asserting that the current phase of Afghanistan’s struggle focuses on economic and scientific development.
“Today, our jihad is an economic one and a scientific one,” Stanikzai said. “Previously, we waged armed jihad; now we must pursue the progress and independence of our country.”
However, many students feel this rhetoric contradicts the Taliban’s actions.
A student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “There is no justification for denying girls the right to education. The Taliban are deliberately keeping us from learning.”
Global concern over a lost generation
International organizations have voiced alarm over the long-term consequences of the Taliban’s education ban. For Afghan girls like Khatira, the uncertainty surrounding their ability to continue schooling represents not just a personal loss, but a national tragedy.
As International Students’ Day is observed worldwide, Afghan girls remain trapped in what many describe as the darkest chapter of their lives, waiting for the chance to reclaim their future.
