The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said the Taliban government, since returning to power in 2021, has deprived around 2.4 million Afghan girls of secondary education.

According to UNESCO, Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially prohibited from secondary and higher education.

UNESCO warned that the continuation of these restrictions could, by 2066, remove about 600,000 women from the labor market, result in $9.6 billion in economic losses, and increase the risk of early marriage. Despite initial promises about girls’ and women’s continued education, the Taliban has closed secondary schools and universities to girls and women.

The organization also said that the educational restrictions have been accompanied by a severe shortage of female teachers, reducing the quality of education. According to UNESCO, more than 90 percent of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan are unable to read a simple text, and nearly half of schools lack basic facilities such as water, toilets, or heating equipment.