Since the Taliban’s 2022 decree barring Afghan Girls from schooling beyond sixth grade, a stark educational vacuum has formed across Afghanistan. In the capital city of Kabul, 13-year-old Nahideh—once earning wages by carrying water for mourners at a cemetery—will soon join a madrassa. Like thousands of others, she’s left with no option but to pursue Islamic education, even though her aspirations lie in science and medicine.
With no access to conventional schooling, enrollment in religious institutions has surged. At the Tasnim Nasrat Islamic Sciences Educational Center, female students now account for 90% of the nearly 400 attendees. While these madrassas offer structure and discipline, they lack core academic subjects—leaving girls with limited tools to compete in a modern economy.
Ambitions Dimmed by a Narrow Curriculum
While Afghan Girls like Nahideh dream of becoming doctors, engineers, or teachers, those ambitions are fast eroding. The madrassas’ curriculum centers around Quranic memorization and Islamic teachings, with little to no instruction in mathematics, science, or foreign languages. Instructors at these institutions recognize the limitations. “This is not a replacement for real school,” one religious teacher admitted.
Experts warn that the long-term consequences are dire—not just for individual girls, but for Afghan society at large. Without educated women, the healthcare system, economy, and public services risk further collapse. Afghanistan already suffers from a shortage of female doctors and teachers, and strict cultural norms often prevent women from seeking help from male professionals.
Criticism Mounts, But Change Remains Distant
Despite internal dissent—including from some Taliban officials who believe women’s education is vital for national development—the ban on girls’ secondary education remains in place. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world that formally prohibits education for girls past the sixth grade.
The international community has strongly condemned the policy. Human rights groups, UN agencies, and Western governments have warned that the exclusion violates global norms and human rights agreements. Over a million Afghan girls are now out of school—not only because of the Taliban’s ban, but also due to poverty, security issues, and lack of infrastructure.
So far, international pressure—including sanctions, frozen funds, and diplomatic isolation—has failed to yield meaningful change. Observers say only significant economic strain or growing public unrest might trigger a policy shift. Until then, for millions of Afghan girls, madrassas may remain the only door left open—even as it closes off much of the world beyond.
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