The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have announced that 53 percent of primary school-aged children in Afghanistan do not have access to formal education.
The two organisations said in their joint report on the state of education in Afghanistan for 2026, released on Thursday, October 22, that more than 2.6 million adolescent girls have also been deprived of secondary education since 2021.
According to the report, a further 397,000 girls are prevented from continuing their education each academic year.
The report states that 93 percent of children cannot read and understand a simple, age-appropriate text by the end of primary school.
More than 1,000 schools also remain closed due to conflict or destruction.
The report identifies a shortage of trained teachers, particularly female teachers, a lack of educational materials, restrictions on girls’ education, and declining investment as the main factors contributing to the education crisis in Afghanistan.
Nearly 30 percent of children aged five to 17 in Afghanistan work, while 28 percent of women marry before reaching the age of 18.
Furthermore, 42 percent of adolescents and young people are neither in education nor employment, and do not participate in skills training programmes.
Girls and young women account for 68 percent of this group.
The two organisations have warned that Afghanistan’s education system faces a funding shortfall of $324 million for 2026 and 2027.
They have emphasised the need for sustained investment to expand access to education and improve its quality.
