UNAMA Calls Ban on Afghan Girls’ Education a “Travesty and Tragedy”
On World Education Day, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed grave concern over the ongoing ban on girls’ education in the country, condemning it as both a “travesty and tragedy.”
January 24 marks World Education Day, a day that UNAMA observes with deep regret, particularly for the millions of Afghan girls who continue to be denied their basic right to education.
It has now been 1,225 days—almost four years—since the Taliban imposed a ban on girls above grade six, effectively locking them out of education.
“It is a travesty and tragedy that millions of Afghan girls have been stripped of their right to education,” said Roza Otunbayeva, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “No country has ever thrived by disempowering and leaving behind half of its population. The de facto authorities must immediately lift this ban and allow all Afghan girls to return to school.”
World Education Day, celebrated annually on January 24, underscores the critical role of education in fostering peace, development, and equality. This year’s theme, “artificial intelligence (AI) and education: preserving human agency in a world of automation,” highlights the pressing need to ensure the right to education for all, regardless of gender, race, or geography.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, sweeping restrictions have been imposed on women and girls, with Afghanistan remaining the only country in the world where women and girls are explicitly barred from education.
