The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern over the continued ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade in Afghanistan and said that UNICEF would continue to work to return girls to school.

UNICEF added that this year, 38,000 girls have been deprived of continuing education in grades above six.

September 18 marks the third anniversary of the Taliban's official ban on girls' education.
UNICEF said that education allows girls and boys to acquire the cognitive skills they need to survive, thrive, make the right decisions and maintain better opportunities for the future.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has emphasised that 2.3 million girls are currently enrolled in primary schools in Afghanistan.

According to UNICEF, more than one million girls are enrolled in primary school this year, and nearly 1.5 million girls, including 38,000 girls who completed sixth grade this year, have been affected by the education ban.

"UNICEF will not fail to support the 2.3 million girls currently enrolled in primary schools in Afghanistan," the UN agency said, stressing on the right to education for all children.

UNICEF said that it will not stop trying to get Afghan girls back to school.

Three years ago, on September 18, the Taliban's Ministry of Education issued a notice inviting male students and teachers in Afghanistan to return to schools.

In this announcement, the Taliban's Ministry of Education did not mention the return of female students and teachers to schools.

In the past three years, women and girls in Afghanistan have repeatedly protested across the country in response to the ban on education.

This decision of the Taliban was also accompanied by protests from various countries and international organisations.

However, the Taliban has not yet taken any steps to reopen schools above the sixth grade.