Rosa Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, has expressed concern over the country’s educational situation and literacy rate. She stated that Afghanistan has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world, with 50% of men and 80% of women being illiterate.
Ms. Otunbayeva made these remarks on during her speech at the “Kabul Book Festival,” noting that only 50% of men and 20% of women in Afghanistan have the ability to read and write.
The UN Special Representative described the denial of education for girls as a serious obstacle to development and self-reliance and called for investor support for the literacy sector in Afghanistan.According to UNESCO’s new definition, literacy is no longer limited to the ability to read and write. UNESCO defines a literate person as someone who can use their knowledge and skills to create meaningful change in their personal life and actively participate in society. This broader definition includes abilities such as comprehension, interpretation, creation, communication, and calculation across various contexts. However, in Afghanistan, even a significant portion of the population still lacks basic reading and writing skills.
Meanwhile, since the return of the caretaker government to power, girls above the sixth grade have been banned from attending school, and universities have also been closed to them.
This decision by the current government has prevented millions of school-aged girls from continuing their education.
In addition, women are banned from going to gyms, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian, and working in both national and international NGOs and even United Nations offices in Afghanistan.
