Afghanistan is experiencing one of the deepest education and learning crises in the world. According to a joint report by UNESCO and UNICEF, nearly 93% of children are unable to read and understand a simple, age-appropriate text by the end of primary school. The figure reflects more than gaps in literacy, it points to a system that has steadily weakened under years of instability, restrictive policies, and declining investment. 

The Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2025 notes that two decades of progress in school access have reversed sharply since 2021. While primary school enrolment reached about 6.77 million pupils in 2024, growth has stalled, with poverty, household labor demands, and declining school quality making consistent attendance increasingly difficult for many families. 

When Access Does Not Mean Learning 

Even for children who remain in school, learning outcomes remain among the lowest globally. More than 90% of Afghan children aged ten cannot read a simple text, a situation the report describes as “schooling without learning.” Shortages of trained teachers, particularly women, weak assessment systems, and limited access to teaching materials continue to undermine learning across all levels. 

Infrastructure challenges compound the problem. Nearly half of schools lack safe buildings, most have no electricity, and many operate without clean water or proper sanitation. These conditions discourage attendance and make it difficult for students to stay engaged, especially in rural and underserved areas. 

Girls Shut Out of the System 

While gender parity in primary education appears improved on paper, those gains disappear after Grade 6. Female participation in secondary education dropped to zero in 2022 and has remained there, excluding an estimated 2.2 million adolescent girls. More than 2.13 million primary-aged children also remain out of school, with girls making up the majority. 

At the university level, the divide has widened further. In 2024, enrolment included nearly 189,000 men and just over 1,200 women, and no women were admitted as new university entrants in 2023. Female lecturers have also been disproportionately affected, with their numbers falling sharply over recent years, further narrowing academic pathways. 

A System Under Growing Pressure 

Education in Afghanistan does not exist apart from humanitarian realities. Nearly 22.9 million people require humanitarian assistance, and ongoing displacement, harsh winters, flooding, and economic hardship continue to disrupt schooling. Since 2023, more than 2.7 million people have returned from neighboring countries, many of them children with limited or no prior access to formal education, placing additional strain on already fragile schools. 

Sanctions and declining international aid have further reduced education funding, leaving most of the budget absorbed by salaries and little available for infrastructure, materials, or quality improvements. Planned curriculum changes have also raised concerns, as instructional time for languages and social sciences is reduced and entire university subjects are removed, limiting academic breadth and future opportunities. 

What Is at Risk 

When a generation is blocked from learning, the consequences extend far beyond classrooms. The report warns that without sustained action, Afghanistan risks reinforcing long-term cycles of exclusion, poverty, and gender inequality. This concern is already reflected in the fact that roughly 42% of adolescents are not in education, employment, or training, with girls accounting for more than two-thirds of those affected. 

Education remains a fundamental right and a critical foundation for long-term stability. UNESCO and UNICEF have called for renewed investment in foundational literacy and numeracy, teacher development, early childhood education, school infrastructure, and the restoration of pathways for girls’ secondary and higher education, warning that continued inaction risks lasting harm to Afghanistan’s social and economic future.