Afghan Girls Hold Symbolic Classes to Protest Nearly Five‑Year Ban on Education

Afghan Girls Hold Symbolic Classes to Protest Nearly Five‑Year Ban on Education
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A group of Afghan girls staged a symbolic protest this week to draw attention to the prolonged ban on female education imposed by the Taliban, marking nearly five years since many girls were barred from secondary schools and universities.

According to Atlas News Agency, members of the Golden Needle Literary Association conducted informal lessons outside closed school and university gates in Kabul and other provinces on Saturday, April 5, as a peaceful demonstration against the ongoing restrictions.

The protest comes amid an education crisis in Afghanistan where girls remain barred from attending secondary school and higher education under the Taliban administration, a policy that has kept millions locked out of classrooms since 2022.

Organizers said the action was intended to “awaken the collective conscience” of Afghan society and the world to the deep impact of the ban. They also called on Afghan men to support the right of girls to education and emphasized equal participation in all spheres of life.

Human rights observers and international agencies have repeatedly warned that the education ban is harming an entire generation and deepening gender inequality. According to UNESCO and other experts, over a million girls have been denied the right to secondary education, a situation critics describe as undermining Afghanistan’s future development.

While primary schools for younger girls have sometimes reopened, girls above sixth grade are still prevented from continuing their studies, a reality that activists say fuels frustration, psychological strain and long‑term social harm.