For Mahbooba, a sixth-grade student in Bamiyan province, this school year is expected to be her last.
Under Taliban restrictions, girls are barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade. As the ban on secondary education enters its fifth year, Mahbooba says she is struggling to accept that her education could soon come to an end.
“This year we are in sixth grade, but next year we won’t be allowed to go to school,” she said. “Everything is closed to us — school, courses, university, even places for recreation.”
Her concerns are shared by thousands of girls across Afghanistan who are completing primary school with little hope of continuing their education.
Some girls who were forced out of school in previous years say they have turned to work to help support their families.
“Since the Taliban came to power, we haven’t been able to study because the schools were closed to us,” said Hakima, who now runs a small business. “We work because we have no other choice. We started with 30,000 afghanis in capital, but after paying shop rent and other expenses, we can barely make ends meet.”
Human rights advocates say the continued exclusion of girls from education is having long-term consequences for Afghanistan’s future.
“Depriving girls of education is not just a restriction on individuals; it is a blow to the future of an entire nation,” said Nahid Jasour, a member of the United Afghan Women’s Movement for Freedom. “Education is a fundamental right. Afghan girls, like everyone else, have the right to learn, develop and contribute to their country’s future.”
The Taliban banned girls from attending secondary schools shortly after returning to power in August 2021 and later extended restrictions to universities. They have also imposed sweeping limits on women’s employment and participation in public life.
UN agencies and international human rights organizations have repeatedly called on the Taliban to reverse the restrictions, warning that denying girls access to education will have lasting social and economic consequences for Afghanistan.
For girls like Mahbooba, however, the uncertainty is immediate. Unless the policy changes, this year will mark the end of her formal education.
