Depriving girls of secondary education cost Afghan economy $500M in one year: UNICEF

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Depriving girls of secondary education caused a loss of at least $500 million to the Afghan economy in the last 12 months, according to an analysis by the UN’s children fund.

UNICEF said keeping girls out of secondary school costs Afghanistan 2.5% of its annual GDP.

“If the current cohort of three million girls were able to complete their secondary education and participate in the job market, girls and women would contribute at least $5.4 billion to Afghanistan’s economy,” it said, as the Taliban marked a year in power.

The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021 after NATO troops’ withdrawal following a devastating two-decade war.

In March, the interim government announced that due to a lack of female teaching staff, girls could not come back to secondary school. The UNICEF called the announcement “shocking and disappointing.”

“Not only does it violate girls’ fundamental right to education, it exposes them to heightened anxiety, and greater risk of exploitation and abuse, including child trafficking, early and forced marriage,” said Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF’s Afghanistan representative.

“Now, this new analysis clearly articulates the terrible economic impact of this decision on the country’s GDP,” Ayoya added.

Yet well before the Taliban came to power, over 4.2 million Afghan children were already out of schools, 60% of whom were girls, according to the UN. Education suffered badly under the years of US/NATO occupation and the chaos it unleashed.

“UNICEF wants to see every girl and boy across Afghanistan in school and learning,” said Ayoya. “We will not stop advocating until that goal is achieved. Not only is education a right for every child, it is the foundation for future growth in Afghanistan.”