Torment of Afghan fathers as daughters deprived of education

August 11, 2026 - 11:18

Father after father in Afghanistan broke down in tears when speaking about the ban that keeps their daughters from studying beyond primary school. In interviews with AFP, many described a daily ache that words cannot carry. One man, a shopkeeper in Kabul, said his twelve-year-old daughter now spends her mornings staring at old notebooks because she has nothing new to learn. Another father, a former teacher in Herat, said he reads to his daughter at night from a worn-out science book, but she asks questions he cannot answer. The pain is not just about lost lessons. It is about watching a child's curiosity fade into silence.

Some families have tried home schooling. A father in Mazar-i-Sharif said he and his wife take turns teaching their two daughters basic math and reading, but they have no textbooks and no guidance. The girls finish their work in an hour and then sit idle. The father said he feels like he is failing them, even though he is doing everything he can. Others have given up entirely, too exhausted by the fight against a rule they cannot change.

The ban, which applies to girls above the sixth grade, has left many fathers feeling powerless. They speak of a future that is closing, not opening. One man said his daughter used to dream of becoming a doctor. Now she does not mention it anymore. That silence, he said, is worse than any argument. The fathers are not asking for sympathy. They are asking for a chance for their children to grow, to learn, to become something. Until that changes, they carry a grief that no policy can explain.