RASC News Agency: Education Cannot Wait, a leading global advocacy organization for girls’ education, has launched a campaign in observance of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, highlighting the staggering number of Afghanistani girls who remain deprived of their fundamental right to education. The organization has called on the international community to intensify awareness efforts, urging policymakers to take decisive action in restoring access to education for Afghanistani girls. In a statement on X, the organization underscored the urgency of the crisis: “Greater awareness is imperative to compel policymakers to act, ensuring that Afghanistani girls can reclaim their right to education.”
This appeal coincides with a UNESCO report revealing that 2.5 million Afghanistani girls and women are currently excluded from educational opportunities due to systemic restrictions. The report further highlights that an estimated 122 million girls and women worldwide lack access to formal education, underscoring the broader global challenge of gender inequality in learning. UNESCO has stressed that Afghanistani girls cannot afford to wait, as continued educational bans have led to devastating social consequences. The organization warns that many young Afghanistani girls have been forced into early marriages as a direct result of the Taliban’s sweeping restrictions on female education, compounding their already precarious circumstances.
The United Nations has officially designated February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Technology, aiming to promote equal access and full participation of women in STEM fields. The UN General Assembly, through Resolution 70/212, formally established this observance on December 22, 2015, reinforcing the global commitment to dismantling gender barriers in scientific and technological education.
