UNESCO reported Thursday that the Taliban have deliberately banned education for 1.4 million Afghan girls, making Afghanistan the only country with such restrictions on female secondary and higher education. The Taliban, who assumed power in 2021, barred girls above the sixth grade from attending school, citing their interpretation of Sharia law, while allowing boys to continue their education.

Since the Taliban’s takeover, UNESCO estimates that at least 1.4 million girls have been denied access to secondary education, an increase of 300,000 since April 2023. Including those already out of school before the bans, nearly 2.5 million Afghan girls, or 80% of school-age girls, are now deprived of education.

Access to primary education has also declined since August 2021, with 1.1 million fewer children attending school. UNESCO attributes this drop to the Taliban’s decision to bar female teachers from teaching boys, as well as the economic challenges discouraging parents from sending their children to school.

UNESCO warned that the Taliban have nearly undone two decades of educational progress in Afghanistan, putting the future of an entire generation at risk. The agency expressed concern that the rising dropout rates could lead to increased child labor and early marriage.

As the Taliban celebrated three years of rule at Bagram Air Base, they made no mention of the country’s ongoing hardships, which include widespread hunger, high unemployment, and economic instability.

Also read: More than 80 million children will still be out of school by 2030: UNESCO