KABUL, Afghanistan: Male university enrolment in Afghanistan has fallen by nearly one-third since 2019, while millions of girls remain excluded from secondary and higher education, according to a joint UNESCO-UNICEF report.
The Afghanistan Education Situation Report 2026, published on October 20, revealed that the number of male university students declined from approximately 306,000 in 2019 to 208,000 in 2026.
The UN agencies warned that Afghanistan’s education crisis extends beyond restrictions on girls, with declining participation among boys and weakening higher education institutions.
University Admissions Decline
According to the report, applications for university entrance examinations, known as Kankor, dropped from 210,000 in 2020 to approximately 84,000 in 2023.
University admissions also declined from approximately 81,000 in 2020 to 74,500 in 2026.
Girls Remain Excluded From Education
UNESCO and UNICEF reported that more than 2.6 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since restrictions were introduced following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
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Girls have also been excluded from university entrance examinations, despite more than 80,000 female candidates participating annually in 2020 and 2021.
The report highlighted a significant decline in university teaching staff, with the number of academics falling from approximately 18,900 in 2019 to 12,700 in 2025.
Female academics declined from around 2,600 to just over 100 during that period.
The agencies warned that declining enrolment, restrictions on female education and shrinking academic resources were undermining Afghanistan’s education system.
They called for sustained investment and the removal of educational restrictions to prevent further deterioration.
