Afghan girls use secret online academies to bypass Taliban education bans

Under the Taliban regime, approximately 2.5 million Afghan girls and young women—representing 80% of the female population according to UNESCO—have been deprived of formal education. In response, secret online academies have emerged to provide unofficial schooling to girls aged 12 to 18.

One such institution, the Behdukht Online Academy, is managed by Fatema Uzgun Nusrat, a Kabul-born lawyer currently in exile in Virginia, USA. The academy operates entirely through digital platforms like WhatsApp, utilizing text messages, voice notes, and shared PDF files to facilitate learning.

To avoid detection, students often gather at the homes of trusted relatives to take exams. These sessions are conducted under high risk, with students wearing burqas and masks to conceal their identities. Exams are typically supervised by Nusrat during the early morning hours in Kabul to coincide with her time zone in the United States.