Afghanistan: Years of progress in education are now at risk

8/31/21 8:00PM

The last of the US soldiers in Kabul have officially left, leaving the task of governing the people of Afghanistan firmly at the feet of the Taliban.

‍History repeating itself?

‍Throughout the last few weeks Taliban leaders have been quick to offer up an image of a "more moderate" Taliban than the one that ruled the country from 1996-2001 — a period which saw a strict interpretation of Sharia law. Among many other imposed rules, that meant a complete ban on female education.

During the Taliban's absence, Afghanistan made significant progress on the issue of education. Data from the World Bank reveals that from 2001 to 2018 the number of girls enrolled in primary school in Afghanistan jumped from pretty much 0% during the Taliban rule, to over 80% by 2018 (chart inspired by one from the FT).

That progress, along with so much else, is now at risk.

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