Afghanistan Peace CampaignUNICEF emphasized that Afghanistan is the only country in the world where secondary and higher education remain closed to girls.
As Afghanistan marks five years since girls were banned from education beyond the sixth grade, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that more than 2.6 million girls have been deprived of their right to secondary education since 2021.
UNICEF emphasized that Afghanistan is the only country in the world where secondary and higher education remain closed to girls.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s Executive Director, said: “Five years ago today, adolescent girls in Afghanistan were barred from attending secondary and high schools. Every girl has the right to learn and reach her potential. UNICEF calls on the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to reopen schools to all girls.”
The organization has called on the current authorities to immediately lift restrictions on girls’ education and allow all girls and women to return to schools and universities.
Daniel Timme, UNICEF’s Chief of Communication, said: “This ban must end because it is taking away the future of millions of girls. Moreover, we are already witnessing its devastating consequences for the country’s development, as half of the population is being denied secondary education.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has also called on the international community to take action to ensure that higher education is reopened to girls.
Amnesty International wrote: “Stand with the women and girls of Afghanistan and call on the international community to pressure the Taliban to immediately reopen girls’ schools.”
Five years ago, education for girls beyond the sixth grade was suspended across Afghanistan.
The issue remains unresolved, and officials of the Islamic Emirate have not recently commented on the matter.