The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is honouring Afghan girls on Jan 24, International Day of Education. “No nation should prevent women and girls from pursuing an education. It is a fundamental human right that must be upheld,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.
Azoulay says it is the duty of the international community to ensure Afghan girls’ rights are restored, “The war on women has to end.”
Girls make about 2.5 million of the primary school population. They made up four out of every ten elementary school students in August 2021. This came after a previous decree that forbade girls from attending secondary school. The order which was given only a few months after Taliban resumed control in August, 2021.
2.5 million Afghan girls and women who are of school age are not in school now. More than 100,000 students attending public and private universities are impacted by the decree suspending university education for women.
All Afghan girls must return to school, according to UNESCO. “The right to education belongs to everyone. However, girls and women in Afghanistan have been denied access to this essential right.”
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