Children & education
Afghanistan’s Education Crisis Deepens as School‑Age Population Surges and Girls Remain Barred
Afghanistan’s school‑age population has risen to 11.5 million, yet more than half of children remain out of school and over 2.6 million girls are barred beyond sixth grade, straining an already fragile system.
American Impact Alliance News Desk2 minute read
Population growth outpaces school capacity
Afghanistan’s school‑age cohort – children aged seven to 18 – expanded from about 10.4 million in 2019 to 11.5 million in 2024, according to UNESCO and UNICEF. The increase has strained an already overstretched system; roughly 53 percent of primary‑school‑age children remain outside formal general education. Public primary schools enrolled about 6.6 million learners last year, a rise of around 560,000 over 2022 but still far behind population growth. Adding to the pressure, more than one million Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran in 2026, including over 245,000 children, further stretching limited classroom space and teaching staff in remote areas.
Gender gaps and limited alternatives
Gender disparity has widened dramatically since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. More than 2.6 million girls are now barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, effectively cutting off secondary and tertiary pathways. The few alternatives that exist – community‑driven classes, literacy programmes, distance learning and private tutoring – serve about 162,000 learners across 5,300 classes, with girls comprising roughly 64 percent of participants. While these initiatives provide some learning opportunities, UN agencies stress that they cannot replace in‑person schooling or fulfil the fundamental right to formal education for many Afghan teenage girls.
Quality shortfalls threaten future prospects
Quality concerns compound the access crisis. A nationwide assessment found that less than half of fourth‑grade pupils achieved minimum language proficiency, indicating gaps in basic learning outcomes. Higher education has also contracted sharply: 208,000 students were enrolled in universities in 2026, up from 189,000 in 2024 but far below the roughly 430,000 enrolled in 2020 before the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s university attendance. UNICEF and UNESCO call for the full restoration of education rights for girls and women and for urgent investments in teachers, materials and school infrastructure to prevent an entire generation from being left behind.