# UNESCO says Taliban barred 2.4 million Afghan girls from school

2026-08-12T17:43:04+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

The Taliban have barred an estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls from secondary education since their return to power in 2021, UNESCO said on Tuesday. Afghanistan is the only country where girls and women are formally banned from secondary and higher education. UNESCO warned the ban risks condemning Afghanistan to decades of lost potential and deepening poverty. The ban could cause 600,000 Afghan women to leave the workforce by 2066 and lead to $9.6 billion in cumulative income losses, UNESCO estimates. The restrictions have also worsened a shortage of qualified female teachers. More than 2 million primary school children are already out of school for other reasons.

## Coverage

- economictimes.indiatimes.com <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/taliban-have-barred-2-4-million-afghan-girls-from-school-since-2021-unesco/articleshow/133163067.cms>
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/five-years-after-taliban-takeover-2-4-million-afghan-girls-still-excluded-from-school-unesco/articleshow/133189371.cms>

Tags: Afghanistan, girls education, Taliban, UNESCO, women’s rights
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