Three Afghan sisters deported from Iran with their family are now living in Herat, where women and girls are barred from schools, universities, most jobs and parks under Taliban rule.
The sisters attend unofficial private classes at home, but the classes cannot provide diplomas. They say the lessons help them maintain hope of returning to formal education or leaving Afghanistan.
A childhood split between Afghanistan and Iran
The sisters were born in Iran, but their parents first returned them to Afghanistan around 2010 so the older children could study. They left again in 2017, when the war and attacks on civilians made the family fear for their safety.
In Iran, access to school depended on changing rules for undocumented Afghans. Maahi, who hoped to become a journalist, was unable to continue because an age limit excluded her after she spent two years obtaining the papers needed to study. She instead worked to support her parents while her younger sisters attended school. For additional context, see “Five years of Taliban rule leave Afghanistan facing overlapping crises”.
Fatimah and Shallah describe discrimination at school, including threats of expulsion, insults and unequal treatment of Afghan pupils. Fatimah was in grade 8 when an education edict expired in 2025, ending undocumented Afghan pupils’ right to register for the next semester.
Education continues outside the formal system
The family now uses its savings to pay for the sisters’ private classes in Herat. The academy cannot award diplomas, but the lessons allow them to keep studying: Maahi is learning German, while Shallah is considering applying to an overseas university.
Shallah is the only sister to have completed high school. She hopes to continue her education abroad and eventually take her family with her. Fatimah has sent her school certificates to Iranian authorities seeking help to return, but says she has received no response.
Daily life under tighter restrictions
The sisters say they mostly remain at home because they fear the Taliban’s morality police and its enforcement of clothing rules. Their earlier hopes that the Taliban might adopt a more tolerant approach have faded. A related part of this story is covered in “More countries engage with Afghanistan’s Taliban government despite abuses”.
Women and girls have been excluded from nearly every part of public life, including education, most employment and access to parks. The sisters nevertheless say they believe education may eventually become necessary for Afghan women to work as doctors and care for patients.
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