Pakistan vs Afghanistan
Side-by-side comparison of how these places approach childhood.
Pakistan
Over 20 million Pakistani children are out of school, the world's second highest number.
Despite constitutional guarantees of free education, poverty and gender barriers keep millions of children from classrooms.
Afghanistan
Since 2021, Afghan girls over 12 are banned from attending school.
The Taliban's return ended two decades of progress in girls' education, affecting 1.4 million secondary-school girls.
Pakistan
Pakistan runs three parallel education tracks: government schools, private schools, and religious madrassas. Quality varies enormously. Each province sets its own curriculum since the 18th Amendment devolved education in 2010.
Afghanistan
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, girls above grade 6 are banned from school and women from universities. Boys' education continues but with revised curriculum emphasizing religious studies. Before 2021, enrollment had risen from near-zero for girls to 3.5 million.
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