Education. The adult literacy rate in Afghanistan is estimated to be 36%, while for adult women it is estimated at 21%2 (2001). A significant leap in school enrollment has taken place during the last couple of years, and more than four million children are now in school, one-third of them girls, but this still represents only a little more than half of school-age children and 40% of girls. These figures hide dramatic regional disparities, with girls representing less than 15% of the total enrollment in nine provinces in the east and south. Besides gender disparity, such figures also reflect the persistent enormous urban-rural gaps. Furthermore, the.
