Taliban have closed 200 UNICEF-supported community-based classes in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, according to local sources who spoke to Amu TV. The closures are the latest in a series of measures curbing education access for Afghan children, particularly girls.
The shuttered classes served approximately 5,000 students—both boys and girls—and employed more than 200 teachers, the sources said. Each teacher earned around 9,200 afghanis (about $120) per month, providing critical financial support for their families in a region grappling with economic hardship.
The combined monthly salary support of over 1.84 million afghanis (approximately $24,000) offered both educational access and financial stability for hundreds of families in the province.
The Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021, initially claimed that their restrictions on girls’ education were temporary. Yet three years later, they have not only maintained the bans on girls beyond sixth grade and university attendance but also expanded them, now targeting informal and community-based education initiatives supported by humanitarian agencies.
Panjshir is not the first province affected. The Taliban have previously shut down similar community classrooms backed by UNICEF and other U.N. agencies in Logar, Khost, and Paktia.
The closures have drawn condemnation from international organizations and voices across the Islamic world. Critics argue that these restrictions on education are rooted not in Islamic teachings but in the personal interpretations of Taliban leadership—particularly Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Despite international pressure and widespread criticism, the Taliban appear determined to continue dismantling even the limited educational opportunities that remain in Afghanistan.
