The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Afghanistan could face a shortage of more than 25,000 female teachers and health workers by 2030 if restrictions on girls’ education and women’s employment continue, the United Nations Children’s Fund warned on Tuesday.
UNICEF said the ongoing restrictions are already depriving
children of access to education and healthcare, while weakening the country’s
economy and essential public services that rely on trained female
professionals.
A new analysis by the agency, titled The Cost of Inaction on
Girls’ Education and Women’s Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan, found
that female representation in the civil service declined from 21 percent in
2023 to 17.7 percent in 2025.
More than one million girls have been denied their right to
education since the Taliban banned secondary schooling for girls in September
2021. If the restrictions remain in place through 2030, over two million girls
are expected to miss out on education beyond primary school.
“Afghanistan cannot afford to lose future teachers, nurses,
doctors, midwives and social workers who sustain essential services,” said
Catherine Russell. “This will be the reality if girls continue to be excluded
from education.”
She urged the Taliban to lift the ban on girls’ secondary
education and called on the international community to continue supporting
girls’ right to learn.
The report highlights a dual crisis, warning that
Afghanistan is not only losing trained female professionals but also preventing
a new generation from replacing them.
According to the analysis, the country could lose up to
20,000 women teachers and 5,400 female healthcare workers by 2030.
The education sector is already experiencing the impact. The
number of female teachers in basic education dropped by more than 9 percent,
from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to about 66,000 in 2024.
This decline poses a significant risk to children’s
education, particularly for girls, who are more likely to attend and remain in
school when female teachers are present.
The healthcare sector could face even greater challenges, as
cultural norms in many parts of Afghanistan limit women’s access to male
healthcare providers.
UNICEF warned that a reduction in female health workers
would restrict access to maternal, newborn and child health services, placing
women and children at increased risk.
The agency also estimated that restrictions on girls’
education and women’s employment are costing Afghanistan around $84 million
annually in lost economic output, with losses expected to rise if the situation
persists.
Despite the challenges, UNICEF said it continues to support
education across Afghanistan. In 2025, more than 3.7 million children in public
schools received emergency assistance, while 442,000 children — 66 percent of
them girls — benefited from community-based learning programs.
The agency also reported building or rehabilitating 232
schools across the country.
“Denying Afghan girls access to secondary education robs an
entire nation of its potential,” Russell said, warning that it deepens poverty,
weakens health outcomes and limits economic growth.
