Class Is Cancelled: The Consequences of the Taliban’s Restrictions on Girls’ Education

By Naama Bader Alhebsi

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“One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.” 

– Malala Yousafzai, UN Youth Assembly


Introduction 

Your geographical location and gender can determine your access to qualifications. Imagine that you were born a girl in Afghanistan, a country ruled by the Taliban, who have barred girls from education beyond primary school (UNESCO, 2025). One day, you need healthcare services, but the patriarchal rules governing your society may prevent you from being treated by a male doctor. At the same time, excluding women from medical training reduces the number of female professionals who could treat you (UNICEF, 2026). Now you have access to neither education nor healthcare. Hypocrisy? Double standards? Sexism? You want to describe how you feel about this situation, yet you cannot find the right words because your language class was cancelled.

The consequences of restricting girls’ education do not end at the classroom door. They reach Afghanistan’s healthcare system, economy, families, and future workforce. This essay explains who the Taliban are, their ideology and justifications behind their restrictions, and discusses both the consequences already visible and those likely to appear over time.

Who Are the Taliban?

  1. Emergence and first government, 1989–2001

When the Taliban emerged, some Afghans initially hoped that they would be heroes who could end years of civil war and insecurity. However, the Taliban did not fight the Soviet occupation as an organized movement. There were different groups called the mujahideen, an Arabic word referring to those involved in jihad or struggle. In this case, the mujahideen were fighting Soviet forces and the Soviet-backed Afghan government. Soviet forces withdrew in 1989, but the Afghan government backed by the Soviet Union lasted until 1992. After it fell, different mujahideen factions began fighting each other. By 1994, the Taliban had emerged. Many Taliban members were former mujahideen fighters, while others were religious students. The Taliban promised security, order, and an end to the fighting, and some people longing for safety believed them. They took over Kabul in 1996 and established the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which controlled most of the country for approximately five years. However, they did not become the heroes some people expected. They imposed severe restrictions, particularly on women and girls. (Council on Foreign Relations, 2026)

  1. Removal, rebellion, and return, 2001–2021

After the September 11 attacks, the United States accused the Taliban government of sheltering the group responsible. When the Taliban refused to hand over those involved, a US-led invasion removed them from power in 2001. A temporary administration was established, followed by the internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. However, the Taliban did not disappear. They regrouped, particularly along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border and fought the Afghan government and international forces for about twenty years. As foreign troops withdrew and the Afghan government collapsed, the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. (Council on Foreign Relations, 2026).

Ideology and the Justification for the Restrictions

The Taliban seek to govern Afghanistan according to Sharia law. They want to maintain an ultraconservative society based on their interpretation of Sunni Islam, which is influenced by Hanafi jurisprudence and Deobandi thought. Their interpretation not only restricts the practices of other religions; it also excludes other Islamic sects and schools of thought. The Taliban view the state as a guiding figure responsible for ensuring that people follow their interpretation of Sharia to have a disciplined society. Therefore, they believe that these rules should be enforced by the government (European Union Agency for Asylum [EUAA], 2026).

In July 2024, the Taliban introduced the Law on the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, also known as the “morality law.” The law regulates religious practices, clothing, gender interactions, personal appearance, restricts women’s movement without a male chaperone, music, and other parts of public and private life. It is enforced by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which monitors people’s practices with these rules and punishes them accordingly (EUAA, 2026). The law demonstrates how the Taliban’s ideology affects people's freedom.

Taliban vs Islam

The Taliban kept talking in circles about setting these strict rules. Officials argued that the existing curriculum did not align with Islamic values and Afghan culture. They also referred to the need for gender segregation, modest clothing, female teachers, transportation, suitable school buildings, new materials, and financial resources (International Islamic Fiqh Academy, 2023; Organization of Islamic Cooperation, 2023). Yet if the curriculum was the concern, why were girls excluded while boys were allowed to continue their education?

However, many people and institutions are not convinced by the Taliban’s justifications for restricting girls’ education. They argue that it is a distortion of Islam. The International Islamic Fiqh Academy states that education is an obligation for both men and women and argues that there is no valid Islamic evidence for excluding girls from learning (International Islamic Fiqh Academy, 2022). Islamic history itself is rich with examples of educated and economically independent women. Aisha, one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad, made significant contributions to hadith and Islamic jurisprudence. Male and female Muslims consulted her and learned from her after the Prophet’s death (Rehman, 2024). Khadijah, the Prophet’s first wife, was also a successful entrepreneur whose wealth supported the early Muslim community (Dhala, 2026). How can the Taliban, who claim that their only intention is to follow Sharia law, overlook these historical Islamic figures and interpret the exclusion of women from education and public life as the only legitimate Islamic position?

From Promises to Restrictions: A Timeline 

Before the Taliban returned, Afghan girls and women were legally allowed to study at every educational level, although access remained limited due to poverty, conflict, rural isolation, child marriage, and shortages of female staff (UNESCO, 2021). After the Taliban took power in August 2021, primary education remained available to girls, but secondary schools reopened only for boys. Girls after Grade 6 were excluded from secondary education (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2022).

In February 2022, universities reopened for both male and female students, although classes were strictly segregated (Al Jazeera, 2022a). However, a major turnover happened in March 2022. On the first day of the new school year, female students had already arrived at school with hope and big dreams about their future. Within hours, they were told to return home. The Taliban Ministry of Education said girls’ secondary schools would be temporarily suspended until a plan that aligns with Sharia and Afghan culture was developed (Al Jazeera, 2022b).

In December 2022, the exclusion was extended to women attending public and private universities (UNESCO, 2023). Two years later, in December 2024, female medical students were forced to stop their training at medical institutes (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, 2024). Time passed; it is now 2026, and the only thing Afghan girls have to hold on to is these promises. Arezo is an Afghan girl who would have been at University by now; she wanted to become a dentist. UNICEF interviewed her in Kabul in March 2023. She counted the days since the Taliban restricted her education and received medical treatment for depression and anxiety. She said, "It has been more than 540 days since I have been in a classroom. I’ve been counting. If schools do not open, I will have to keep counting, and this depression will keep going."(Houser & Aryan, 2023, “Arezo” section).

Afghanistan is currently the only country where secondary and higher education are strictly forbidden to girls and women, with approximately 2.2 million adolescent girls excluded from secondary education (UNESCO & UNICEF, 2026).

Consequences Already Visible 

Just a few years ago, if we had asked an Afghan girl the famous question we ask children: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She might have answered: a teacher, doctor, astronaut, or journalist. The sky was her limit, but now it seems that the Taliban are restricting even the sky.

Because the Taliban allow no space for interpretations of Islam beyond their own, girls lose the opportunity to continue their education. More than one million girls have lost access to secondary education since the restrictions began. The number of female teachers in basic education declined from approximately 73,000 in 2022 to 66,000 in 2024. Girls now feel alienated and emotionally distressed. They have lost their routines, sense of purpose, social interaction, qualifications, and hope for their careers (UNICEF, 2026). UNICEF’s interview with Laala demonstrates one of many examples of the personal effects behind these statistics. Laala was in Grade 8 when the Taliban prohibited girls from continuing secondary school. She described being stuck at home, separated from her friends, and occupied mainly by household responsibilities. She said: “I’m stuck at home all day with no joy. My time is consumed by household chores” (UNICEF, n.d.).

Consequences for Afghanistan’s Future

  1. Economic Consequences

The consequences are not merely intellectual concerns; restricting society’s access to education can also affect a nation’s economy. Afghanistan is already not in a good economic position, and restricting education is not going to help its economy prosper. The economic consequences may include fewer educated women entering the workforce, reduced household incomes, greater financial dependence, and the loss of skills, productivity, and consumers. Restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment already cost Afghanistan an estimated US$84 million annually, approximately 0.5% of its 2023 GDP (UNICEF, 2026). Suspending women’s higher education could cost approximately US$9.6 billion by 2066 (UNESCO, 2024).

  1. Healthcare Consequences

Existing female healthcare workers will eventually retire, leave, or stop working. This will lead to fewer healthcare workers with no replacements because the current generation cannot train as doctors or nurses. Given the strict rules the Taliban have set and the social context of Afghanistan, being treated by a male doctor may not be an option for many women. Afghanistan could lose approximately 5,400 female healthcare workers by 2030. This could reduce access to maternal, newborn, and child healthcare (UNICEF, 2026). This also connects to both economic and social consequences, as a weaker healthcare system places additional pressure on families, workers, and public services. Dr Najumussa Shefajo, who operates a maternity hospital in Kabul, questioned this contradiction. Speaking about the future shortage of female medical professionals, she asked, “The Taliban bring their wives here for treatment… Now they want female doctors? But who will treat them if there are no female professionals left?” (Butt & Janssen, 2026, “Female Doctors Needed” section).

  1. Social Consequences

Because of patriarchal rules, women depend heavily on male relatives. Depending on how women are viewed and treated within their families, decision-making power may be limited to men. Without education, women may have fewer resources, less financial independence, and less power to prevent early marriage for themselves or their daughters. Early marriage and pregnancy may then force another generation of girls out of education. Educated mothers are generally better positioned to support their children’s health and education (World Bank, n.d.). All these consequences are intertwined, and the cycle cannot be broken while women continue to be excluded from education. The restrictions can therefore affect the next generation, not only today’s students. Access to education is critical to breaking the intergenerational cycle of child marriage because girls from more educated households are less likely to marry during childhood (UNICEF, 2022). UN Women’s modelling projects a 25% increase in child marriage, a 45% increase in early childbearing, and at least a 50% increase in maternal mortality if the restrictions continue (UN Women, 2025).

“Marriage can wait, education cannot.”

 — Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns 

Damage Control?

Damage control becomes harder while these restrictions remain. Some consequences can be reduced, but reversing every consequence may no longer be possible. Yet there are still future generations to save. The United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and other governments are continuing diplomatic discussions. In March 2026, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said that the international community was prepared to help the Taliban create the conditions and environment they claim are necessary for reopening girls’ schools (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan [UNAMA], 2026a).

Meanwhile, although progress is slow, some community classes and online programmes allow girls to continue learning. UNESCO reports reaching more than 76,000 vulnerable learners since 2021 and is now working to develop approachable alternatives. Still, not all girls can access these programmes because of limitations involving the internet, electricity, technology, funding, mobility restrictions, and fear. Informal classes may also lack recognized qualifications and clear pathways towards universities or employment. Although so much potential has already been lost, these alternatives provide a temporary solution so that if girls return to school one day, they will not have fallen even further behind. Each additional year causes greater learning loss and removes more future professionals. An estimated 250,000 additional girls are excluded from educational opportunities each year (UNAMA, 2026b).

Conclusion

“A society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated.”

 — Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns 

I wonder whether, if we asked an Afghan girl today, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, she would believe that she has many options. The consequences of restricting education do not stop at a closed classroom. They go beyond that, affecting a nation’s economy, healthcare system, and social dynamics. When girls are excluded from education, Afghanistan also loses future teachers, doctors, nurses, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. The longer these restrictions remain, the harder it will be to rebuild the opportunities and professional workforce already lost. Available temporary solutions are merely attempts at damage control, they cannot fully restore a girl’s fundamental human right to education. When a girl’s class is cancelled, how much of Afghanistan’s future is cancelled with it?

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