Afghanistan’s education system faces deepening crisis, UN warns

Afghanistan’s education system is in the midst of a deepening crisis that threatens the future of millions of children, both girls and boys, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.

According to a new joint report by UNICEF and UNESCO, titled Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025, more than 2.13 million primary school-aged children are currently out of school, while learning outcomes remain critically low.

The report found that over 90 percent of 10-year-olds in Afghanistan are unable to read and understand a simple text.

The findings point to a system under immense strain, plagued by chronic teacher shortages, poor infrastructure, limited materials, and weak oversight, the report stated.

Nearly half of the country’s schools lack access to clean water, sanitation, or heating, and more than 1,000 schools remain closed after the years of conflict and regular natural disasters.

The UN agencies said that while the ban on secondary education for girls has drawn global attention, the crisis extends beyond gender, with boys’ secondary enrolment stagnating and higher education enrolment falling by 40 percent since 2019.

“The exclusion of girls from schooling and the deterioration of the education system as a whole threaten to undo decades of progress,” the report warned.

UNICEF and UNESCO called for urgent investment in primary education, improved literacy and numeracy programmes, and alternative learning opportunities for adolescent girls who remain barred from attending school.

Without immediate action, they estimate that nearly four million girls could miss out on secondary education by 2030, with grave social and economic consequences for the country.

The UN agencies urged the Afghan authorities to lift restrictions on girls’ and women’s education and appealed to international donors for sustained support to prevent the collapse of the education sector.

“Education is the foundation of Afghanistan’s recovery and development,” the agencies said. “Every day without learning is a day lost for the country’s future.”