KABUL, Afghanistan — The United Kingdom’s chargé d’affaires to Afghanistan, Rob Dickson, called the Taliban’s continued ban on girls’ education “a tragedy for them and their country,” as a new school year begins with hundreds of thousands of students still barred from classrooms.
In a statement posted on social media, Dickson noted that with the start of another academic year, an additional 400,000 girls will be denied the right to attend school — bringing the total number of Afghan girls out of school to more than 2.2 million.
“This is a tragedy for them and their country,” he said. “Education is a right, not a privilege.”
Dickson called on the Taliban to lift the restrictions, which have remained in place since the group returned to power in August 2021. Under current policy, girls above sixth grade are prohibited from attending school across most of the country.
The ban has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community, including Muslim-majority countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which have urged the Taliban to reverse course.
Despite repeated calls, the Taliban have given no indication that they intend to reopen secondary and higher education to girls, prompting concern from human rights groups over the long-term consequences for Afghanistan’s development and stability.
