ISLAMABAD: Nearly two-thirds of the 900,000 children who have returned to Afghanistan are still out of school, according to the United Nations.

UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, in a media briefing, cited the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), saying Afghanistan’s education system faces multiple challenges.

He further said, “The United Nations and its humanitarian partners were continuing to provide support where possible, but persistent funding shortages [have] significantly reduced their ability to assist children with education.”

Dujarric also highlighted the continued restrictions on girls’ education, saying, “Girls above the sixth grade remain barred from attending school.”

UNESCO has previously estimated that around 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

In a statement issued on Aug 11, UNESCO said Afghanistan remained the only country in the world where girls and women are formally barred from education beyond the primary level.

The UN agency warned that the continued ban on girls’ education could have serious long-term consequences for Afghanistan’s economy and society.

After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban repeatedly said conditions would be created for girls to resume their education.

However, girls’ secondary and high schools remained closed when the new academic year began in March 2022. Women were subsequently barred from attending universities in December 2022.

The restrictions have left millions of Afghan girls and women without access to secondary and higher education, further deepening the country’s humanitarian and education crisis.

Afghan Children

Nearly 600,000 Afghan children still out of school: UN