UNICEF-Backed Girls’ Education Enrollment Program Halted in Kabul Schools

UNICEF-Backed Girls’ Education Enrollment Program Halted in Kabul Schools
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A UNICEF-supported initiative to enroll girls in grades 10 through 12 at six schools in Kabul has reportedly been suspended after Taliban officials instructed the schools to stop registering students above sixth grade, according to four sources cited by Amu TV.

The enrollment process had recently begun at six Kabul schools, including Om al-Banin, Naswan Amini, Sayed al-Shuhada, Mehrabuddin High School, Sardar Kabuli High School, and Asif Mayel High School. The program was designed to allow girls who had been excluded from secondary education to take exams and complete a six-month educational course before receiving academic documentation.

Sources said that a delegation from the Taliban’s Ministry of Education and intelligence agency visited the schools and ordered administrators not to accept registrations for girls beyond sixth grade. One school official told Amu TV that the process was “completely canceled.”

The reported suspension has renewed concerns among Afghan girls who have been barred from secondary education since 2021. Some students said the program had briefly raised hopes of returning to school before they were informed it had been stopped.

The development comes as the United Nations continues to call on the Taliban to reverse restrictions on women’s and girls’ education. UNICEF has warned that millions of Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary education, increasing risks related to child labor, early marriage, and other forms of vulnerability.

The Taliban has previously said that reopening girls’ education remains under consideration, but has not announced a timetable for allowing girls to return to secondary schools.