KABUL — The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced plans to distribute educational materials to more than 3.5 million children in Afghanistan this year, as the country prepares for the start of the new school year.
In a statement, UNICEF quoted Hasanat, a fourth-grade student from Badakhshan, as saying, “School makes me feel like I can achieve anything!”
“This year, UNICEF will deliver notebooks, backpacks, pens, and more to 3.5 million children, so they can keep aiming for the stars,” the agency said.
Despite these efforts, millions of Afghan girls above sixth grade are expected to be barred from attending school for a fourth consecutive year due to the Taliban’s ban on female education.
The international community has repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, calling the ban on education a serious violation of fundamental freedoms.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several Muslim-majority countries have also denounced the Taliban’s policies, urging the group to lift restrictions on girls’ schooling.
