How the ban on girls’ education will hamper Afghanistan’s development

The Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, has outlawed secondary and higher education for women and girls based on its skewed interpretation of Islam. (AFP/File)
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Updated 08 April 2025
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How the ban on girls’ education will hamper Afghanistan’s development

  • The Taliban’s refusal to educate girls is considered among the biggest barriers to Afghanistan’s recovery and growth
  • Experts say denying girls an education only entrenches gender inequality and limits workforce productivity

LONDON: With the Taliban’s ban on secondary education for teenage girls now in its fourth year, the dreams of millions across Afghanistan remain on hold. If the policy continues, experts say it could have serious implications for women’s health and the nation’s development.

The ban, reimposed in September 2021, has already deprived 2.2 million Afghan girls of secondary education as of 2025, according to the UN children’s fund, UNICEF. If the ban persists until 2030, this number could rise to more than 4 million.

“The consequences for these girls — and for Afghanistan — are catastrophic,” Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, warned in a statement, adding that the ban “negatively impacts the health system, the economy, and the future of the nation.”

The ban is among the harshest measures imposed by the Taliban since its return to power in August 2021. It bars girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and from universities. Afghanistan is the only country in the world to enforce such a ban.

The Taliban claims its policy aligns with its interpretation of Islamic law, mirroring similar measures during its initial rule from 1996 to 2001.




The ban is among the harshest measures imposed by the Taliban since its return to power in August 2021. (AFP)

The ramifications of the ban extend far beyond the immediate exclusion of girls from schooling. Its effects are likely to reverberate through Afghan society for decades unless the policy is reversed.

Salma Niazi, editor in chief of the Afghan Times, told Arab News the ban “will have devastating, multi-generational effects,” risking “a profound brain drain, economic stagnation, and increased poverty.”

Economically, Afghanistan loses an estimated 2.5 percent of its annual gross domestic product due to the exclusion of girls from secondary education, according to a 2022 UNICEF report.

Niazi said educated women are vital to a nation’s progress, contributing to healthcare, governance, and community resilience.

“Denying them education entrenches gender inequality, limits workforce productivity, and exacerbates cycles of vulnerability, including child marriage and maternal mortality,” she said. “The societal and economic costs will be felt for decades.”

IN NUMBERS

  • 2.2m Afghan girls currently out of school
  • 4m Projected to lose out if ban persists to 2030

Dr. Ayesha Ahmad, a global health humanities scholar at St. George’s University of London, echoed these concerns. “Even if boys and men can access education, there is no foundation for a country’s flourishment without equality in education,” she told Arab News.

“Most significantly, for the forthcoming multiple age groups affected by the education ban, there is a generational impact that will take designated efforts to heal the collective traumas that are being enforced and imposed onto the lives of Afghan girls and women.”

The Taliban’s December 2024 closure of medical education programs for women has intensified these risks. UNICEF’s Russell warned that fewer female doctors and midwives will leave women without critical care, estimating “an additional 1,600 maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant deaths.”

She said in her March statement: “These are not just numbers; they represent lives lost and families shattered.”

Afghanistan already has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, with at least 600 deaths per 100,000 live births — nearly triple the global average.




Economically, Afghanistan loses an estimated 2.5 percent of its annual gross domestic product due to the exclusion of girls from secondary education, according to a 2022 UNICEF report. (AFP)

The Taliban’s requirement for male guardians to accompany women seeking healthcare further endangers those in labor. UN Women projects that by 2026, the education ban could increase early childbearing rates by 45 percent and maternal mortality risks by 50 percent.

Ahmad accused the Taliban of “weaponizing discrimination into genocide” through barring women from medical training. “Girls and women simply will die,” she said.

With nearly 28 percent of Afghan girls married before they are 18, UNICEF warns the education ban will only heighten the risk of child marriage, threatening girls’ health and agency.

“With fewer girls receiving an education, girls face a higher risk of child marriage with negative repercussions on their well-being and health,” Russell said.

It is through such policies that the Taliban systematically erases women’s autonomy, said Ahmad, “deliberately shrinking spaces that girls and women can occupy through their growth, individuality, wishes, and agency.”




After Taliban closed medical education programs for women in December 2024, UNICEF’s Russell warned that fewer female doctors and midwives will leave women without critical care, estimating “an additional 1,600 maternal deaths and over 3,500 infant deaths.” (AFP)

Beyond physical harm, the mental health toll is severe. Ahmad said the ban fosters “hopelessness, despair, depression, and suicidality” among Afghan girls and women.

She called for greater awareness of what she described as “a gender apartheid,” urging action against the Taliban policies that erase women’s autonomy.

The policy also threatens Afghanistan’s global standing.

Hasina Safi, Afghanistan’s former minister for women’s affairs, said the ban on girls’ education “will further isolate Afghanistan and Afghan women” while deepening “inequality and instability at all levels — from grassroots communities to policy making.”

She told Arab News: “When you educate a man, you educate an individual; when you educate a woman, you educate an entire family. The first school of a child is a mother.

“The first word of the Qur’an revealed was ‘Iqra,’ which means read — which clearly reflects the importance of education even in Islam.”




Dr. Ayesha Ahmad, a global health humanities scholar at St. George’s University of London, said the ban fosters “hopelessness, despair, depression, and suicidality” among Afghan girls and women. (AFP)

Despite these challenges, families are seeking alternatives to ensure their daughters receive an education. Some are turning to illegal underground schools, the former minister said.

Ahmad explained that although underground schools provide some relief for Afghan girls desperately seeking an education, they remain informal and poorly resourced. “Unfortunately, these are not of an adequate standard,” she said. “They operate in silence.”

Online programs offer another avenue but come with obstacles such as high overseas fees and limited internet access. Afghan students also struggle with power outages and technological barriers while trying to meet academic expectations.

Even if Afghan women complete their education through such means, employment opportunities remain scarce under Taliban restrictions.

“One student I know from Afghanistan had to write her dissertation whilst managing electricity power cuts and not being able to charge or use her laptop to work or access student systems such as lectures,” said Ahmad.

“And to what end? There is no employment for women to develop a career from their education.”




Hasina Safi, Afghanistan’s former minister for women’s affairs, said the ban on girls’ education “will further isolate Afghanistan and Afghan women.” (AFP)

Niazi of the Afghan Times said that in addition to underground schools, Afghan civil society, educators, and international organizations “have shown remarkable resilience,” discretely operating digital learning platforms and community-based initiatives.

“Some NGOs are providing scholarships for Afghan girls to study abroad, while advocacy groups continue to pressure the Taliban through local and global campaigns,” she said. “However, these efforts are often fragmented and operate under severe constraints.”

Highlighting efforts by her independent news outlet, Niazi added: “At the Afghan Times, we’ve launched an Open Mic Podcast where young women share how they’ve clung to hope through online education.

“Their stories — of studying secretly via Zoom, accessing smuggled e-books, or teaching younger sisters at home — reveal both resilience and desperation.”

The three women urged the international community to play a greater role in pressuring the Taliban to lift the ban, which remains a stark violation of fundamental rights and continues to draw widespread condemnation from international organizations and activists alike.




The education ban remains a stark violation of fundamental rights and continues to draw widespread condemnation from international organizations and activists alike. (AFP)

Safi noted that while the international community has responded to the issue, including “condemnations and advocacy,” these actions have “yielded no results.”

She added: “The international community can play a pivotal role at multiple levels of engagement with the Taliban by implementing short, mid, and long-term programs to restore access to education through conditional funding and other proven strategies.”

The international community has strongly condemned the Taliban’s actions. Organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO, and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan have repeatedly called for the immediate lifting of the ban, emphasizing its catastrophic impact on Afghanistan’s future.

Countries like the UK have taken a firm stance against the restrictions, and Islamic nations have sought to pressure the Taliban into reversing the policy.




Afghan women hold placards during a protest in front of Kabul University in Kabul on October 18, 2022. (AFP)

While the Taliban remains resistant to outside pressure, Safi said sustained international efforts could still create pathways for Afghan girls to access education — even under restrictive conditions.

The Taliban stance is further complicated by its lack of recognition from the international community, primarily due to its systematic oppression of women and girls. No country has granted formal diplomatic recognition to the Islamic Emirate since its 2021 takeover, with ongoing human rights violations cited as the central obstacle.

Niazi called for consistent diplomatic and economic pressure on the Taliban, advocating for increased funding to alternative education programs, including online learning and cross-border initiatives.

The Afghan Times editor also stressed that “global media, like Arab News, play a crucial role in keeping this issue visible,” while “neighboring countries and Islamic leaders could leverage their influence to advocate for change, framing education as a religious and moral imperative.”




The international community has strongly condemned the Taliban’s actions. Organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO, and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan have repeatedly called for the immediate lifting of the ban. (AFP)

Ahmad criticized what she believes to be the international community’s selective engagement. “When there is a perceived threat to ‘Western’ populations, it is justified to intervene, even if that intervention destroys generations of lives and hope,” she said.

“Yet when there is a structurally violent threat to girls through the institution of education, there is global silence. This is another form of violence.”

She urged nations to prioritize a unified response to ensure educational equality, warning that the continued ban on girls’ education could mean Afghanistan’s “destruction.”

Indeed, she added: “Nothing can be created without education.”

 


US says it rejects Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state

Updated 6 sec ago
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US says it rejects Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Washington rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state, with the top American diplomat calling it a “reckless decision.”
Macron said on Thursday that France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, adding that he hoped it would help bring peace to the Middle East.
“This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,” Rubio said in a post on X.
Washington’s ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said in June he did not think an independent Palestinian state remained a US foreign policy goal.


Canada condemns Israeli government over ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Gaza

Updated 34 min 16 sec ago
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Canada condemns Israeli government over ‘humanitarian disaster’ in Gaza

OTTAWA: Canada on Thursday condemned the Israeli government for failing to prevent what Prime Minister Mark Carney called a humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
Carney also accused Israel of violating international law over the blocking of Canadian-funded aid delivery to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
“Canada calls on all sides to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in good faith. We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza,” Carney said on X.


Trump presses US central Bank chief to cut rates during tense visit

Updated 25 July 2025
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Trump presses US central Bank chief to cut rates during tense visit

  • US president wants borrowing costs lowered
  • White House accuses Fed of mismanaging $2.5 billion building project

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump locked horns with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during a rare presidential visit to the US central bank on Thursday, criticizing the cost of renovating two historical buildings at its headquarters and pressing the case for lower interest rates.

Trump, who called Powell a “numbskull” earlier this week for failing to heed the White House’s demand for a large reduction in borrowing costs, wrapped up his visit to the Fed’s $2.5 billion building project in Washington by saying he did not intend to fire Powell, as he has frequently suggested he would.
“To do so is a big move and I just don’t think it’s necessary,” Trump told reporters after the visit.
In a post on his Truth Social media site, Trump later said of the renovation, “it is what it is and, hopefully, it will be finished ASAP. The cost overruns are substantial but, on the positive side, our Country is doing very well and can afford just about anything.”

The visibly tense interaction at the Fed’s massive construction site marked an escalation of White House pressure on the central bank and Trump’s efforts to get Powell to “do the right thing” on rates.

It happened less than a week before the central bank’s 19 policymakers are due to gather for a two-day rate-setting meeting, where they are widely expected to leave their benchmark interest rate in the 4.25 percent-4.50 percent range.

The president has repeatedly demanded Powell slash rates by 3 percentage points or more.

“I’d love him to lower interest rates,” Trump said as he wrapped up the tour, as Powell stood by, his face expressionless.

 

Powell typically spends the Thursday afternoon before a rate-setting meeting doing back-to-back calls with Fed bank presidents as part of his preparations for the session.
The encounter between the two men became heated as Trump told reporters the project was now estimated to cost $3.1 billion.
“I am not aware of that,” Powell said, shaking his head. Trump handed him a piece of paper, which Powell examined. “You just added in a third building,” the Fed chief said, noting that the Martin Building had been completed five years ago. White House budget director Russell Vought and Trump’s deputy chief of staff, James Blair, who have spearheaded criticism of the renovation as overly costly and ostentatious, later told reporters they still have questions about the project. The two men, who joined Trump during the visit, have suggested poor oversight and potential fraud in connection with it. Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, a Republican who sent Powell a letter on Wednesday demanding answers to his own questions about the renovation, also took part in the visit.
Elevated by Trump to the top Fed job in 2018 and then reappointed by former President Joe Biden four years later, Powell last met with the current president in March when Trump summoned him to the White House to press him to lower rates. The visit on Thursday took place as Trump battles to deflect attention from a political crisis over his administration’s refusal to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing a campaign promise. Epstein died in 2019. The Fed, in letters to Vought and lawmakers backed up by documents posted on its website, said the project — the first full rehab of the two buildings since they were built nearly a century ago — ran into unexpected challenges including toxic materials abatement and higher-than-estimated costs for materials and labor.
Speaking outside of the construction site, Trump said there was “no tension” at his meeting with Powell and that they had a productive conversation about rates.

Fed independence

Ahead of Trump’s visit, Fed staff escorted a small group of reporters around the two construction sites. They wove around cement mixers and construction machines, and spoke over the sound of drills, banging, and saws. Fed staff pointed out security features, including blast-resistant windows, that they said were a significant driver of costs in addition to tariffs and escalations in material and labor costs.
The project started in mid-2022 and is on track to be completed by 2027, with the move-in planned for March of 2028.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press after touring the construction at the Federal Reserve in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2025. (AFP)

A visit to the roof of the Eccles Building, a point of particular scrutiny by critics like Scott, who has complained about “rooftop garden terraces,” revealed an impressive view of the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall, according to the pool report.
Staff explained that rooftop seating, although inexpensive, had been removed because of the appearance of it being an amenity and was one of only two deviations from the original plan. The other was the scrapping of a couple of planned fountains. Market reaction to Trump’s visit was subdued. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury bonds ticked higher after data showed new jobless claims dropped in the most recent week, signaling a stable labor market not in need of support from a Fed rate cut. The S&P 500 equities index closed largely flat on the day.
Trump’s criticism of Powell and flirtation with firing him have previously upset financial markets and threatened a key underpinning of the global financial system — that central banks are independent and free from political meddling.
His trip contrasts with a handful of other documented presidential visits to the Fed. Then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited the central bank in 1937 to dedicate the newly-built headquarters, one of the two buildings now being renovated. Most recently, former President George W. Bush went there in 2006 to attend the swearing-in of Ben Bernanke as Fed chief. 


Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as border clashes leave at least 14 dead

Updated 25 July 2025
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Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as border clashes leave at least 14 dead

  • Fighting took place after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides “to exercise maximum restraint”

SURIN, Thailand: Thai and Cambodian soldiers have clashed along the border between their countries in a major escalation that left at least 14 people dead, mostly civilians. The two sides fired small arms, artillery and rockets, and Thailand also launched airstrikes.
Fighting took place in at least six areas on Thursday, according to Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri, a day after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers and led Bangkok to withdraw its ambassador from Cambodia and expel Cambodia’s envoy to Thailand.
On Friday, Cambodia’s chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said clashes resumed early in the morning near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours.
The official also said that at least four civilians were wounded in Thursday’s fighting there and that more than 4,000 people have been displaced from their villages along the border to evacuation centers. It was the first account of any casualties from the Cambodian side.
The escalation represents a rare instance of military conflict between member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation, though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbor Myanmar.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides “to exercise maximum restraint and address any issues through dialogue,” according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

Evacuees take shelter in a hall on the grounds of Surindra Rajabhat University, in the Thai border province of Surin on July 24, 2025, amid fighting between Thail and Cambodian forces on July 24, 2025 over a disputed border zone. (AFP)

Each side blames the other
Thailand and Cambodia have blamed each other for the clashes, alleging that civilians were being targeted.
In Bangkok, the Public Health Ministry said a Thai soldier and 13 civilians, including children, were killed while 14 soldiers and 32 other civilians were injured. Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin condemned what he said were the attacks on civilians and a hospital as violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

“We urge the Cambodian government to immediately halt these war criminal actions, and return to respecting the principles of peaceful coexistence,” he said.
Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the fighting affected four provinces. The Interior Ministry was ordered to evacuate people at least 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border.
In Cambodia, several hundred villagers moved from their homes near the border to about 30 kilometers (18 miles) deeper inside Oddar Meanchey province. Many made the journey with entire families and most of their possessions on home-made tractors, before settling down with hammocks and makeshift shelters.
From the encampment near the town of Samrong, a 45-year-old mother of four, Tep Savouen, said it all started about 8 a.m.
“Suddenly I heard a loud noise,” she told the AP. “My son told me it might be thunder and I thought ‘Is it thunder or is it loud, more like a gun?′ At that time I was very scared.”

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said the government was “prepared to intensify our self-defense measures if Cambodia persists in its armed aggression and violations upon Thailand’s sovereignty.”
In the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, Defense Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata said his country deployed armed force because “it has no choice but to defend its territory against Thai threats.” The spokesperson insisted the Cambodian “attacks are focused on the military places, not on any other place.”
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote to the UN Security Council asking for an urgent meeting “to stop Thailand’s aggression.” The council scheduled an emergency closed meeting at 3 p.m. in New York on Friday.
Thailand also sealed all land border crossings while urging its citizens to leave Cambodia. Officials said all seven Thai airlines expressed willingness to help bring back any Thai nationals seeking to return home from Cambodia.
A long-standing border problem
The two Southeast Asian neighbors have long had border disputes, which periodically flare along their 800-kilometer (500-mile) frontier and usually result in brief confrontations, only rarely involving the use of weapons. The last major combat over the issue was in 2011, leaving 20 dead.
However, relations sharply deteriorated since a May confrontation killed a Cambodian soldier. Thursday’s clashes were unusually big in intensity.

The first clash on Thursday morning happened near the Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Thailand’s Surin province and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey, prompting villagers to scurry to shelter in concrete bunkers.
The Thai army and Cambodia’s Defense Ministry each said the other side deployed drones before advancing on the other’s positions and opening fire. The two sides later used heavier weaponry such as artillery, causing greater damage and casualties, and Thailand said it responded with airstrikes to truck-mounted rockets launched by Cambodia.
Thailand’s air force said it deployed F-16 fighter jets in two attacks on Cambodia. Nikorndej, the Thai spokesperson, called it “an act of self-defense” in response to Cambodian rockets.
Cambodia’s Defense Ministry said the Thai jets dropped bombs on a road near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which has been a site of past conflicts between the two countries.
Cambodian authorities distributed photos they claimed showed damage caused there, and the country’s Culture Ministry said it would pursue justice under international law, since the temple was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO, the UN’s cultural organization, and is a “historical legacy of the Cambodian people.”
A diplomatic uproar
Relations frayed badly even before the clashes began. On Wednesday, Thailand withdrew its ambassador to Cambodia and expelled the Cambodian ambassador to protest the mine blast that wounded its soldiers.
Thai authorities alleged the mines were newly laid along paths that both sides had agreed were supposed to be safe. They said the mines were Russian-made and not of a type employed by Thailand’s military.
Cambodia rejected Thailand’s account as “baseless accusations,” pointing out that many unexploded mines and other ordnance are a legacy of 20th century wars and unrest.
Cambodia also downgraded diplomatic relations, recalling all Cambodian staff on Thursday from its embassy in Bangkok.
The border dispute has also roiled Thailand’s domestic politics. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra came under fire earlier this month over a phone call with Cambodia’s former Prime Minister Hun Sen, still a power broker in his country, when she tried to defuse the situation. She then was suspended from office on July 1 pending an investigation into possible ethics violations over the matter.

 


80-year-old pro-Palestine protester in UK ‘traumatized’ after arrest

Updated 25 July 2025
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80-year-old pro-Palestine protester in UK ‘traumatized’ after arrest

  • Police forcibly entered Marianne Sorrell’s house, seizing iPads, Palestinian flag, books and climate-related material
  • Sorrell held on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action, banned earlier this month under anti-terror laws

LONDON: Marianne Sorrell, an 80-year-old retired teacher from Wells, a city in southwestern England, said that her arrest earlier in July for holding a placard at a pro-Palestine rally has left her feeling “traumatized” and “sick.”
Police officers detained Sorrell for nearly 27 hours on July 12 after forcibly entering her house and seizing 19 items, including iPads, a Palestinian flag, books about Palestine, and materials related to Extinction Rebellion and climate change. She was held on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action, which the UK government banned earlier this month under anti-terrorism laws.
Sorrell told The Guardian newspaper: “At 80, to be treated like a dangerous terrorist is deeply shocking. I’ve been very traumatised by this. Every morning I wake up feeling sick, nauseous. (I have) had to take anti-sickness pills.”

She said a friend of hers, who went to feed her cats while she was in custody, saw a Geiger counter, which measures radiation, on the table while the police were searching the house.

“They’ve actually not taken anything that could be classed as illegal but it’s very confusing that they’re beginning to think anything connected to Palestine or support for Palestine is illegal in some way,” Sorrell said.
She was detained at the end of a one-hour demonstration in Wells by the group Defend Our Juries in support of Palestine. Her friend Trisha Fine, 75, also from Wells and a retired teacher, was arrested and held by the police for nearly 27 hours. At the Cardiff rally, 11 others were arrested. Police questioned Sorrel and Fine about their awareness of Palestine Action’s support for violence and whether they were prepared to engage in it themselves.

The women have been released on bail until October and are prohibited from contacting each other or spending any nights away from their homes.
Fine told The Guardian: “Am I a 75-year-old terrorist? I don’t think so. It’s completely out of order. You just wonder what the hell is happening with this country and this government.”
Sorrell said: “I just feel if I’m put in prison for this, and even if I die in prison for this, I can’t think of a better thing to die for really than for the justice of the people who’ve been persecuted now for almost my lifetime.”
Palestine Action was banned in July after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton on June 20, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.38 million) of damage to military aircraft.
Membership of or direct support for Palestine Action now carries a prison term of up to 14 years. Displaying the group’s name on clothing could lead to a six-month jail sentence.