UNICEF: Four Million Children in Afghanistan Deprived of Education

Photo: Omid Fazel / The Telegraph

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says that four million children in Afghanistan are deprived of attending school due to the lack of proper educational facilities.

According to the agency’s latest report published on Monday (2 June), the absence of standard school buildings, a shortage of clean drinking water, and a lack of teachers, especially female teachers, are among the major challenges affecting children's education.

The UNICEF report also states that economic poverty is a significant factor behind school dropouts among children. Many children are forced to work in markets to support their family’s income, abandoning their education.

The organization emphasized that it is working to improve girls’ access to education by focusing more on the recruitment of female teachers, as families in many areas prefer their daughters to be taught by women.

This comes as the Taliban, after regaining power in Afghanistan, have banned girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. According to UNICEF, more than two million girls are deprived of education in 2025.