Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
A top Unicef official said a new school year has begun in Afghanistan with more than 2.2 million girls excluded from secondary education.
Since the Taliban returned to power about four years ago, girls have not been allowed to attend secondary school.
Catherine Russell is the executive director of Unicef, the agency of the United Nations devoted to children. She said the outcomes for these girls – and Afghanistan as a whole – would be disastrous.
The Taliban regime initially said it would pause secondary education for girls until certain conditions were fulfilled. However, there has been no progress in allowing female students to return to classrooms.
Some private education institutes provide courses in various subjects, primarily foreign languages, for girls and women. They are one of the few remaining places where girls can learn. However, they cannot replace formal schooling.
Answer: more than 2.2 million
