UNICEF Warns: Over 90% of Afghan 10-Year-Olds Unable to Read, Signaling Systemic Educational Collapse

KABUL, January 27 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a stark warning today, revealing that more than 90 percent of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan are illiterate, incapable of reading a simple text. This statistic underscores a catastrophic and deepening crisis in foundational learning, with profound implications for the nation’s future.

In a statement released Tuesday, UNICEF declared Afghanistan’s education system to be at a critical breaking point. “More than 90 percent of 10-year-olds cannot read a simple text,” the agency reported. “This is not merely a crisis of school attendance, but a devastating crisis of schooling without learning.” The finding points to systemic failures in delivering basic literacy and numeracy, leaving an entire generation without the fundamental skills for personal development or economic participation.

The educational landscape has deteriorated severely since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The regime’s policies have triggered widespread disruption, characterized by:

• The suspension of secondary and higher education for girls, a move condemned globally. A joint UNICEF-UNESCO report estimates that approximately 2.2 million adolescent girls have been forcibly barred from classrooms, drastically widening one of the world’s worst gender disparities in education.

• Chronic shortages of qualified teachers, many of whom have left the profession due to non-payment or restrictive policies.

• Ongoing school closures and instability, alongside a controversial curriculum review that has raised concerns about content quality and inclusivity.

• A deepening humanitarian crisis where poverty and hunger force children into labor instead of learning.

UNICEF emphasized that immediate and sustained investment in early childhood education, as well as foundational literacy and numeracy programs, is non-negotiable. “Building these basic skills is essential to ensure every child can succeed and escape the cycle of generational poverty and illiteracy,” the statement read.

The consequences of inaction are severe. Analysts warn that failing to address this emergency will cripple Afghanistan’s future workforce, stunt economic recovery, and destabilize social cohesion for decades. The loss of educated women, in particular, represents an incalculable blow to the nation’s health, governance, and development.

“This is a preventable disaster,” said one regional education expert, who requested anonymity. “Reversing this collapse requires a multi-faceted response: urgent international funding for community-based learning, unwavering advocacy for policy changes—especially the right to education for all girls—and support for inclusive, quality instruction for both boys and girls.”

The international community faces mounting pressure to find innovative ways to deliver aid and support education within the complex political reality. Without urgent, coordinated, and principled action, the dream of a literate, thriving Afghanistan risks being extinguished for an entire generation.

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