Afghan women face rising barriers to education in Kabul and Pakistan

Educational opportunities for Afghan women are facing significant setbacks both within Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan. In Kabul, a UNICEF-backed program designed to enroll girls in grades 10 through 12 at six different high schools has been halted. Officials from the Taliban’s Education Ministry and intelligence agency reportedly ordered schools to stop registering girls above the sixth grade, citing internal disputes within the emirate. The program, which included the provision of educational materials and a six-month course to facilitate the return to schooling, has been completely canceled.

Simultaneously, Afghan medical students in Pakistan are facing potential expulsion. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council ordered medical and dental colleges to remove Afghan students, a move estimated to affect approximately 1,000 individuals, including several hundred women. While provincial high courts in Pakistan have temporarily halted these expulsions pending further hearings, students expressed fear that the decision could end their professional prospects. This comes as the Taliban continues to ban secondary and university education for girls within Afghanistan.