KABUL, Afghanistan — As annual examinations conclude this week, sixth-grade girls across Afghanistan are grappling with despair and uncertainty, fearing they will not be allowed to continue their education.
The Taliban’s ban on secondary education for girls has left many questioning why their right to learn has been taken away.
“We study, but we are sad. We study, but we don’t learn because we have no hope of advancing to the seventh grade,” said Neda, a sixth-grade student in Kabul, who recently completed her exams. “Why can boys go to school while we cannot? What have we done wrong to be denied this right?”
For three consecutive years, the Taliban has barred girls above the sixth grade from attending school, a policy that has drawn widespread condemnation from international organizations and human rights groups.
1.4 million girls denied education
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Taliban’s restrictions have deprived 1.4 million girls of access to education. This number has grown by 300,000 in the past year, as more girls reach the age of 12 and are barred from attending school.
“This represents an increase of 300,000 since the previous count carried out by UNESCO in April 2023,” the agency reported.
For many girls, the reality of being forced out of school is devastating. “We have the right to study like boys,” said Qudisa, another sixth-grade student. “We plead: why are we being deprived of this right?”
Calls for change
UNESCO emphasized the importance of education in a recent statement on the social media platform X, writing that education is a fundamental right essential for growth and peace.
The Taliban’s education restrictions, which also extend to barring women from universities, have drawn widespread criticism but remain firmly in place. The policy has forced countless girls and young women to abandon their ambitions, and many now see no clear path forward.
As the school year comes to a close, sixth-grade students like Neda face a future filled with questions and little hope for answers. “I just want to study,” she said. “Is that so much to ask?”
