Susan Yasini, Sayed Saied Shamsi

DECIMATED DREAMS? EDUCATION AND CAREER PROSPECTS AMONG STUDENTS UNDER TALIBAN GOVERNANCE

Introduction

Decimated dreams? education and career prospects among students under taliban governance. Quantitative study on how Taliban education restrictions decimate Afghan students' dreams, especially for girls. Examines shifts in learning, career aspirations, and human capital.

Abstract

This study explores the impact of Taliban-imposed educational restrictions on Afghan students, with a focus on Malika Suraya Girls' High School and Nasir Khisraw Boys' High School in Kabul. Afghanistan’s education system has long been shaped by conflict and instability, but the Taliban’s return to power in 2021 introduced unprecedented restrictions, particularly on female students. These restrictions have resulted in school closures, diminished access to formal learning, and constrained career prospects. While previous research has largely examined Afghanistan’s broader socio-political and economic context, few studies have quantitatively assessed the educational and career consequences of Taliban policies at the student level. This study employs a quantitative design, surveying 90 participants, including both students and teachers, to measure the effects of school closures on educational participation, adoption of informal learning, and shifts in career aspirations. Results indicate that female students were disproportionately affected by restrictions, with 77% of participants reporting changes in their career aspirations due to limited opportunities. The findings also show a notable rise in informal learning among female students as a coping strategy, while male students faced reduced motivation and career uncertainty. By using empirical evidence, this study contributes to debates on education in conflict and post-conflict societies, demonstrating how Taliban restrictions undermine human capital formation and long-term economic stability. The novelty lies in its quantitative approach, offering data-driven insights into how education policies under authoritarian regimes directly shape youth motivation, learning strategies, and professional trajectories.

Review

"DECIMATED DREAMS? EDUCATION AND CAREER PROSPECTS AMONG STUDENTS UNDER TALIBAN GOVERNANCE" presents a highly pertinent and timely quantitative analysis of the profound impact of the Taliban's educational restrictions on Afghan students. Focusing on specific high schools in Kabul, the study provides crucial empirical evidence detailing how these policies have resulted in diminished access to formal education and severely constrained career opportunities, particularly for female students. The research effectively highlights the disproportionate burden faced by young women, revealing a significant shift in career aspirations among the majority of participants and an emergent reliance on informal learning strategies as a coping mechanism. This study makes a valuable and much-needed contribution to understanding the immediate human costs of authoritarian governance on youth development in conflict-affected regions. A significant strength of this research lies in its novel quantitative approach, which addresses a notable gap in the existing literature by focusing on granular, student-level impacts rather than broader socio-political contexts. By surveying 90 participants, including both students and teachers, the study generates data-driven insights into how such policies directly shape youth motivation, learning strategies, and professional trajectories. The finding that 77% of participants reported changes in career aspirations due to limited opportunities is particularly compelling, as is the detailed observation of increased informal learning among females and reduced motivation among males. These results powerfully demonstrate how the Taliban's educational restrictions actively undermine human capital formation and long-term economic stability, enriching academic debates on education in conflict and post-conflict societies. While offering critical insights, the study's generalizability might be tempered by its specific focus on two schools in Kabul and its relatively modest sample size of 90 participants. Future research could benefit significantly from expanding the geographical scope to include students from diverse regions across Afghanistan and increasing the sample size to enhance the robustness and broader applicability of the findings. Additionally, incorporating a mixed-methods approach with qualitative components would provide deeper, more nuanced understandings of the psychological impacts, the specific nature and effectiveness of informal learning adopted, and the intricate decision-making processes behind shifted career aspirations. A longitudinal study tracking these students' actual educational and career paths would also offer invaluable insights into the long-term consequences of these "decimated dreams."

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