After nearly three years of Taliban rule and global efforts to engage with the group, the crisis of girls’ education in Afghanistan remains unresolved. Despite repeated promises to reopen schools, the Taliban have taken no action in this regard. As a result, female students are increasingly worried about their educational futures under Taliban rule. Many of these students, losing hope for the reopening of schools, have opted for migration, while others, deprived of education for a prolonged period, have turned to work such as carpet weaving, embroidery, sewing, street vending, and other labor-intensive jobs. These students express that the world has forgotten that girls in Afghanistan are deprived of education.
The families of these students are also concerned about the continued Taliban rule and their daughters being denied education. They argue that the world should not engage with the Taliban.
Zainab is one of the girls who has been deprived of schooling. Before the Taliban came to power, she was a ninth-grade student. The ongoing ban on education and the economic downturn have left her hopeless about the reopening of schools for girls, prompting her to help her father in providing for their family. She says that during the first two years of Taliban rule, she hoped for the reopening of schools and tried not to abandon her dreams, but the prolonged closure of schools has left her disheartened: “Like all girls, I waited for three years for the schools to open, but it didn’t happen. The first year, we were expelled from school. The second year, they said the schools would open. In the third year, we were completely forgotten.”
Zainab adds that the closure of schools has led her into depression, and to cope, she has had to take on several jobs simultaneously. She states, “There was a time when I was weaving carpets and still felt very depressed. I had to start doing embroidery as well to keep myself busy all day and forget about school, lessons, and my dreams.”
According to her, many of her classmates have turned to work such as carpet weaving, sewing, street vending, and embroidery due to the lack of education.
Marzia, another female student, describes the closure of educational opportunities for girls as painful, stating that she and other girls have no hope left for the reopening of schools. The ongoing ban on education led her to leave the educational center where she was studying. She says, “Several times I heard that the schools would open, but it was all rumors. There is no hope left.”
She also adds that the Taliban are opposed to girls’ education and have not only closed schools but are also aiming to shut down educational centers: “I am in a situation where I cannot predict my future. The Taliban have not only closed schools but are also closing other educational centers.”
Sana, another female student, also expressed that all girls under Taliban rule are considered a burden and that the group does not value women and girls at all. She too has lost hope for the reopening of schools and is worried about her educational future under the Taliban regime: “Our only fault is that we are girls and must be condemned under Taliban rule. I have lost hope in everything and fear for my bleak future.”
Female students report that many of their classmates have left the country, seeking refuge in various Asian and European countries.
Sanam, a tenth-grade student at a public school in Kabul, mentioned that their class had 45 students, but now fewer than ten remain in the country, with most having emigrated over the past three years. She said, “Since the fall of Kabul and the continued closure of schools, many of my classmates have left the country. Every day, I receive farewell messages from friends in our WhatsApp group. Many girls have even illegally moved to Iran and Pakistan with their families.”
According to Sanam, if schools do not reopen for girls and the dire economic situation continues to pressure them, her family will also be forced to leave the country: “Until now, my father waited in the hope that schools would reopen for my sisters and me, but now, due to unemployment, he has decided that we will leave the country.”
Families of female students are worried about their children’s future under Taliban rule, stating that the prolonged ban on education in Afghanistan has left girls depressed and reclusive.
Mustafa, the father of two female students, said: “My daughters have not attended school for three years. Both attended courses for a while, but after the Taliban started detaining girls under the pretext of improper hijab, I stopped them from going to courses. Now they are at home, and this situation has badly affected them, making them more reclusive every day.”
Mustafa added that his two sons also attend school, but they too are tired of going to school due to the lack of proper teachers and education, stating that it is not worth attending school under the Taliban regime: “Not only my daughters but my sons are also disheartened by the lack of proper schooling. One of them has left school and works with me. The Taliban have left no joy or normalcy for anyone.”
The families of these students urge the international community not to recognize the Taliban and to pressure the group to lift restrictions on women’s activities and education.
Meanwhile, the United Nations and various countries around the world have not succeeded in compelling the Taliban to reopen schools for girls despite numerous meetings on the education crisis in Afghanistan. On Wednesday, May 29, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, stated in a press briefing that the UN continues to engage with the Taliban since they are the current authorities in Afghanistan. However, he also emphasized that the organization continuously pressures the Taliban regarding women’s and girls’ rights.
In response to this statement, several female students expressed that the world has forgotten that girls and women in Afghanistan are deprived of their most basic rights. They also stated that if the UN and other countries engage with the Taliban, this group will intensify human rights violations in Afghanistan.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here: