UNICEF Urges Taliban to Reopen Girls’ Schools in Afghanistan

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Taliban to reopen girls’ schools in Afghanistan, warning that the country’s future is directly linked to education for girls.

Sheema Sengupta, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said that four years have passed since girls above grade six were barred from school, a situation that threatens not only their future but also the overall development of the country.

UNICEF emphasized that all girls—from primary to secondary and beyond—must have the right to education, and that no barriers should stand in their way. The agency called on the Taliban to immediately provide conditions for all girls to return to school.

Since taking power in August 2021, the Taliban have banned girls from attending secondary and high schools, a move that has drawn widespread domestic and international criticism. Despite repeated appeals from human rights and education organizations, the Taliban have so far refused to reverse the policy.

The denial of education to millions of Afghan girls is widely seen as a blatant violation of human rights and a breach of UN Security Council resolutions. In the long term, it is expected to cause intellectual, cultural, and economic stagnation across the country.