The Afghan Minister of Education has reportedly made a shocking revelation: “Access to schools for women in the country is fully banned.”
This statement underscores the ongoing Taliban-imposed restrictions on female education in Afghanistan.
The restriction has been in place for over four years since it was first introduced in August 2021.
Under Taliban rule, girls are barred from secondary schools (beyond sixth grade) and women from universities.
The rule makes Afghanistan the only country in the world with such comprehensive bans on female secondary and higher education.
Recent UN reports (from UNICEF and UNESCO, as of January 2026) confirm that around 2.2 million adolescent girls remain excluded from secondary education.
The bans extend to higher education, with no reopenings announced despite international pressure.
Taliban officials, including past statements from higher education ministers like Neda Mohammad Nadeem defended or enforced these policies.