Inside the Secret Classrooms Defying the Taliban’s Ban on Girls’ Education

This article was co-published with Ideas Beyond Borders.

Scattered across Afghanistan, where girls’ education has been severely restricted, a clandestine network of women educators refuses to surrender the future of their country’s girls.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, which brought a systematic dismantling of girls' education beyond the sixth grade, some teachers have continued to operate underground schools. Their lessons — held in private homes, basements, and in the back rooms of shops — have unfolded under constant threat of discovery and punishment as they risk their safety to ensure that knowledge cannot be contained by decree.

“We started small, just a few students in a safe house,” said Amina, a teacher at the forefront of these secret networks. She herself has had a nine-year career so far, teaching students ranging from ages 7 to 24. “Now, even with the risk, we are operating in multiple provinces. The number of students keeps growing because there is no other option. If we stop, these girls will have nothing.”

Despite the Taliban’s relentless crackdown, teachers like Amina and her colleagues Maryam, Laila, and Roya persist. 

Among the many students who have walked through their doors is 20-year-old Forozan. When the Taliban took over her village, Forozan and her sisters endured atrocities that left deep scars and took the life of their eldest sister. For a long time, Forozan believed there was no hope left. But after connecting with one of Amina's underground schools after learning of it by word-of-mouth, her life took a different turn. With the support of teachers who noticed her withdrawn demeanor and arranged psychological help, Forozan and her family slowly began to heal. 

Today, Forozan and her sister Yalda not only completed their secret schooling but now teach neighborhood girls from their home while their mother runs a sewing workshop. “We have come back to life,” their mother told Amina during a surprise visit. "A week ago, I sat down and talked with my daughters—something I hadn't done in two years. The reality is that we must accept our situation. I have started sewing, and Forozan and Yalda are teaching the neighbor’s children and earning a small income. Their spirits have also improved. All of this is thanks to you for accepting my daughter’s words without judgment and saving a family."

Forozan’s story is one of many. The network now spans eight provinces and continues to grow, providing literacy, mathematics, science, and English—subjects deemed unacceptable under Taliban rule ever since the hardline group banned secondary education for girls in September 2021. In all, 53 teachers have taught at least 5,000 students since its inception.

“If the Taliban raid us, they cannot find proof. We have to be prepared to make it look like we are doing something else,” said Maryam. “We’ve had to burn our students’ materials more times than I can count.”

The fear is not just of raids—it is also of betrayal. “We do not know who might turn us in,” said Laila. “We take precautions. No one knows every location. We use word-of-mouth to pass information. We change meeting places. We keep our class sizes small.”

Despite these measures, the risk remains. Some teachers have been directly called before the Taliban to answer for their actions. In December 2023, two teachers were summoned to appear before Taliban officials after being accused of illegally educating girls.

“They called us to a Friday sermon,” said Roya. “They wanted us to stand before them and explain why we were still teaching when they had ordered all education for girls to stop.”

Knowing the dangers of such an appearance—humiliation, flogging, stoning, and even execution are all possibilities in scenarios like these—they turned to a local elder for help. “He spoke on our behalf,” said Roya. “He told them, ‘These are just women trying to help other women. They are not breaking any laws; they are just offering literacy.’ He saved us that day. But the threats did not stop.”

Despite the fear, the schools have become safe havens for girls like 16-year-old Ayesha from Parwan. Her father was a strict mullah, a village-level religious leader. After his disappearance during the Taliban’s rise to power, she fell into a deep depression, feeling trapped by a society that denied her education. But her mother, a quiet advocate for her daughters, discovered one of Amina’s schools. 

“When I saw my school friends there, I didn’t know how to express my happiness,” Ayesha recalls. She now teaches other girls from her home and helps support her family. “I wish one day I can find my father and show him: ‘Hey Dad, see what a brave girl you have!’”

In addition to basic schooling, these underground institutions have created programs to supply women of all ages with basic needs and professional resources. 

“We have trained women to sew, and now over 200 tailoring shops have been opened by our graduates,” Amina said. “It’s a way for them to earn money without drawing too much attention.”

They have also compiled a book of testimonies from students across eight provinces, documenting their experiences under Taliban rule. “We want the world to know what is happening here,” said Laila. “These are not just stories. This is our reality.” They hope to publish the book if they can secure funding.

The Taliban have stripped women of their right to an education, but the teachers insist that these decrees cannot erase women’s determination. 

“Women in Afghanistan tend to find a way,” Amina said with a smile. “We always have.”

*All names have been changed for safety.