Beyond the Ban: Alternative Schools as Lifelines for Learning in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghan girls have faced devastating setbacks in acquiring education. The Taliban ban on girls’ education beyond sixth grade has kept millions of girls out of classrooms, putting an entire generation’s future at risk. Despite this upsetting reality, the quest for girls to acquire education has led to the emergence of alternative models such as home-based, underground, and online schools, providing Afghan girls with opportunities to continue learning, but as these models grow, the question remains: Can they ever transition into formal schooling systems?
The Taliban’s ban has deprived at least 1.4 million Afghan girls of their right to secondary education, as reported by UNESCO in August 2023. This figure continues to grow as more girls reach the age of 12 and are barred from attending school. In total, nearly 2.5 million girls—about 80% of school-age girls in Afghanistan—are currently out of school due to the Taliban’s policies.
This decision is based on their interpretation of Sharia law. Thus, Afghanistan now holds the tragic distinction of being the only country in the world that bans female secondary and higher education and shows no sign of reopening classrooms for girls.
Table: Girls Deprived of Education in Afghanistan (2021-2024)
| Girls Out of School (Millions) | |
Data sourced from UNESCO report (August 2024) and compiled information.
Despite the Taliban’s restrictions, Afghan women and educators are finding ways to keep education alive for girls. Home-based schools, like the Smart Home School and Daricha Schools, provide girls with covert learning opportunities, where volunteer teachers often work without pay. These schools face constant threat of exposure to Taliban authorities while also struggling with a lack of funding to keep their operations alive.
In addition to home-based schools, the Omid Online School offers Afghan girls a chance to continue their education digitally. Omid Online was founded by Zahra Hashimi, an Afghan educator and activist based in Vienna which now serves over 540 students and teaches necessary subjects like mathematics and biology. While providing much-needed educational access, online schools like Omid encounter technological and administrative difficulties, making consistent learning challenging as students often have unreliable internet access and must share devices with other family members. Moreover, cultural pressures such as early marriage and child labor further hinder girls’ ability to continue their education
Yet, the success stories are inspiring. Some students from these alternative systems have even transitioned into teaching roles, as seen in Omid Online. This showcases the transformative power of these models and how they are keeping the dream of education alive for many Afghan girls.
Historically, home-based schools in Afghanistan were partially integrated into formal education systems, particularly in the early 2000s, with support from organizations like the IRC(International Rescue Committee). These schools achieved significant success, as a majority of the students were girls, therefore, highlighting the potential of these models to provide inclusive education.
However, under the current Taliban regime, such integration seems very unlikely as without formal recognition from the Taliban-controlled Ministry of Education, home-based and online schools cannot issue official certifications. Consequently, this leaves students struggling to prove their qualifications and many are cut off from opportunities in both higher education and employment, further restricting their future prospects.
In conclusion, Afghan women continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of oppression, by finding ways to keep education alive through underground and online schools. While these models have had a significant impact, their future remains uncertain and so international support and investment are vital in sustaining these alternative models as lifelines for Afghan girls, preserving their right to learn in the absence of formal schooling—or, at the very least, continue learning through alternative means until conditions improve.
Kirk, J., and Winthrop, R. (2006). Home-Based Schooling: Access to Quality Education for Afghan Girls. Journal of Education for International Development, 2(2).
Khorasani, A. (2024). Smart Home School: Afghan Women’s Covert Fight Against Taliban Ignorance. Published on July 27, 2024.
Butt, R. (2024). Taliban Have Deliberately Deprived 1.4 Million Afghan Girls of Schooling Through Bans, Says UNESCO. Associated Press, Updated August 15, 2024.
Hashimi, Z. (2023). Omid Online School: Providing Digital Education for Afghan Girls. Interview by Ali Ahmad, Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC).