Karzai warns Afghanistan may lose 20,000 women teachers by 2030 over girls' education ban

Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday, 30 April raised serious alarm over a new analysis by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which warned that Afghanistan risks losing up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 healthcare workers by 2030 due to continuing restrictions on girls' education and women's employment. The report underscores a deepening human capital crisis in a country already under severe strain.

What the UNICEF Report Found

UNICEF's latest analysis, titled 'The Cost of Inaction on Girls' Education and Women's Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan', warned that if the ban on girls' education persists until 2030, more than two million girls will be deprived of their right to education beyond primary school. The report also noted that female representation in civil services fell from 21 per cent to 17.7 per cent between 2023 and 2025, a sharp decline that signals accelerating erosion of women's institutional presence.

UNICEF cautioned that the declining pool of trained women professionals in schools and hospitals would have devastating consequences for children's education, health outcomes, and future opportunities across the country.