Former President Karzai Warns Continued Deprivation of Girls' Education Weakens Afghanistan

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that depriving girls of education and restricting women's employment leads to increasing weakness for the country.

In a message marking the new academic year, Karzai stated: "Depriving girls of education and banning women's work confronts our people with greater incapacity and weakness every day, and continuing this situation will have irreparable damages for the country's stability and progress."

He emphasized that education for all children, both girls and boys, is fundamental to progress, self-sufficiency and a dignified life. Karzai called for reopening schools and universities to girls and providing opportunities for women to work and participate actively in society.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that girls above the sixth grade have been barred from attending school. The United Nations has reported that at least 2.2 million girls in Afghanistan are deprived of education due to these restrictions.

The Taliban imposed educational and employment restrictions on women after returning to power in 2021. Despite repeated calls from the international community to lift the bans, the policies remain unchanged. The Taliban have also prohibited women from working at non-governmental organizations, including UN agencies, and barred girls from universities and medical education.