In Afghanistan today, the situation of girls’ education has become one of the most complex and controversial social issues. This issue is not limited to restrictions on school attendance but reflects deeper layers of policymaking, economics, social justice, and the authorities’ overall view of education. On the surface, the Taliban have allowed religious seminaries and private educational centers to operate, and these institutions function freely in many provinces, even providing education for girls up to grade twelve. In contrast, public schools for girls above grade six have effectively been closed or suspended. This major contradiction in education policy has raised serious questions among the public as to why one educational path is open while another is closed, and why education is available for some girls but not for the majority.
From an external perspective, it may appear that the Taliban have allowed private education to fill the existing gap. However, the social reality is different. Although religious seminaries and private centers have, in some cases, es met part of the educational demand, access to them is highly limited and class-based. Only families with sufficient financial resources can send their daughters to these institutions, as the costs are unaffordable for many households. As a result, education has shifted from a universal right to an economic privilege. Meanwhile, public schools, which should be the main pillar of public education, have become effectively inactive for girls at higher levels. This contradiction raises a fundamental question: if education up to grade twelve is possible through private seminaries, why is the same structure not applied in public schools?
Two main perspectives have emerged in society to explain this situation. One view argues that the Taliban lack the financial capacity to expand or sustain girls’ education in public schools and therefore chose to halt education at lower levels. According to this analysis, the costs of the education system, including teacher salaries, infrastructure, and school administration, are too high for a country facing a deep economic crisis. As a result, the authorities have been forced to limit formal education and allow the private sector to absorb part of this burden. However, while this explanation may appear reasonable on the surface, it does not fully justify the situation. If the problem were purely financial constraints, there would be efforts to strengthen public schools and use limited resources to preserve public education, rather than fully transferring education to private institutions.
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https://8am.media/eng/girls-education-afghanistan-school-closure-inequality/
