Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally prohibited from attending school beyond the primary level.

Since March 2022, girls have been barred from secondary schools, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December 2022 -- promises the Taliban made to the international community upon seizing power but never fulfilled.

The restrictions have reversed two decades of educational progress. In 2001, very few girls were enrolled in primary education, but by 2021, nearly one million girls were attending secondary school across the country.

"Afghanistan had made really major progress in expanding girls' access to education," said Hoda Jaberian, UNESCO's program coordinator for education in emergencies. "But unfortunately, much of that progress now has been completely reversed".

The UN agency estimates the ban on female education could push approximately 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066, resulting in cumulative income losses of $9.6 billion. The restrictions also increase the risk of early marriage and are expected to create a deficit of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.

Beyond the gender-specific bans, Afghanistan's education system faces a broader crisis. More than half of primary-school-aged children are out of school entirely, and over 90% of 10-year-olds cannot read a basic text. Nearly half of schools lack water, sanitation, or heating.

- Taliban's ideological overhaul

While global attention has focused on the ban on girls' education, a new report from the Lowy Institute warns that the Taliban is fundamentally rebuilding Afghanistan's entire education system around its own ideology -- a transformation that could have lasting consequences for generations.

According to the report by journalist Lynne O'Donnell, registered madrassas have grown from approximately 5,000 during the previous government of Dr Ashraf Ghani's has now increased to more than 23,000 since August 2021, and enrolling over 3.65 million children.

Public schools, universities, and teacher-training colleges have been converted into religious institutions by Taliban regime.

Some schools use a text called "Lessons of Jihad," and certain Taliban officials have openly called for instilling military and jihadi concepts in children's education. 

For girls barred from secondary schools, enrollment in female madrassas has become their only educational option.

Reports have also emerged that the Taliban continue to operate seminaries where children are trained and prepared for suicide missions.

Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns that the majority of suicide bombers who carry out attacks against its security forces and civilians are Afghan nationals,

- Social control and surveillance

According to Lowy Institute report, the education system is being used by Taliban as a tool for social control. Some parents withdrew their sons after discovering they were being encouraged to monitor and report on family members. A Taliban intelligence official was quoted telling a Kandahar resident: "Be aware that we now have informants in each of your houses".

The Lowy Institute warns that the system cultivates obedience and continues to celebrate insurgency and martyrdom. Suicide units have been reorganized into armed forces, yet senior commanders still describe suicide attacks as legitimate. The report cautions that blending religious education with militarization has implications for regional stability and international security, especially given the presence of groups such as al-Qaeda.

Despite the scale of this transformation, diplomatic engagement, aid, and investment with the Taliban are increasing under the banners of pragmatism and humanitarian need. The Lowy Institute argues that the expansion of the madrassa system is not an aberration but the clearest expression of the Taliban's actual long-term vision -- one that prioritizes ideological conformity over critical inquiry, scientific reasoning, or independent thought.