The BRICS TimesFormer Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on the Taliban to end the education ban on girls without delay. A new UNICEF report warns that by 2030, Afghanistan will face a shortage of over 20,000 teachers and more than 5,000 female healthcare workers, with over 2 million girls locked out of classrooms.
Karzai speaks out on girls’ right to education in Afghanistan
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has renewed his call on Afghanistan’s rulers to lift the girls’ education ban immediately. He warned that keeping this ban in place will deepen the country’s dependence on foreign nations.
“I consider universal education to be vital,” Karzai said in a statement. “I once again stress that the doors of schools and universities must open for girls as soon as possible. With education opportunities for young people, both girls and boys, the country’s problems and needs can be addressed by the capable hands of its own children. Afghanistan can free itself from external dependence.”
UNICEF report paints a grim picture for Afghanistan’s future
Karzai made this statement shortly after UNICEF released a troubling new report. The report reveals that by 2030, Afghanistan will face a shortfall of more than 20,000 teachers. It also projects a deficit of more than 5,000 female healthcare workers. On top of that, the number of girls denied access to education will surpass 2 million.
Girls are leaving Afghanistan to study abroad
Right now, girls in Afghanistan cannot study in secondary schools beyond the sixth grade. The doors of high schools, technical colleges, vocational institutes, and universities remain shut to them. However, many Afghan girls are finding a way around this. With no learning options at home, they travel abroad, mainly to other Muslim countries. They return home holding degrees from foreign institutions.
The situation highlights a growing human capital crisis. Afghanistan risks losing an entire generation of educated women to foreign universities and opportunities abroad.
