UNESCO: Afghanistan Risks Losing an Entire Generation of Skilled Professionals

AhlulBayt News Agency: The continued exclusion of Afghan girls and women from secondary and university education is putting the country at risk of losing an entire generation of future teachers, healthcare workers and other skilled professionals, a UNESCO official has warned.

Hoda Jabrian, Coordinator of the Education in Emergencies Programme at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said the ongoing restrictions on girls’ and women’s access to secondary and higher education threaten not only the education sector but also Afghanistan’s social and economic future.

In an interview, Jabrian stressed that Afghanistan cannot afford to lose another generation of students. She called for girls and women to be allowed to return to the education system and for the country’s educational infrastructure to be strengthened.

She said the immediate priority must be the reopening of secondary schools for girls, stressing that access to formal education is essential and that no alternative learning opportunity can replace it.

Jabrian also urged the provision of learning opportunities for children and young people currently excluded from education, particularly girls and women, who have been disproportionately affected by the restrictions.

She further emphasised the need to improve the quality of education in Afghanistan. Supporting teachers, providing textbooks and learning materials, strengthening data collection systems and improving educational planning should all be treated as priorities, she said.

According to a United Nations report published in November 2026, restrictions imposed by the Taliban have so far deprived approximately 2.4 million girls of secondary education. The report also states that no women enrolled in Afghan universities in 2026.

After returning to power in 2021, the Taliban first barred girls from attending school beyond Grade 6. In December 2022, they banned women from universities, followed by a prohibition on women's education at medical institutes in December 2024.