Afghanistan's New Academic Year Begins Without Girls Above Sixth Grade for Fifth Year

The new academic year began on Monday in central and cold provinces of Afghanistan without girls above sixth grade attending school, marking the fifth consecutive year of such restrictions.

Girls expressed concern over the ongoing situation and urged the Taliban to end the policies preventing their return to schools. They also called on the international community to apply greater pressure to ensure girls' right to education. Arzoo, a seventh-grade student affected for the first time this year, questioned why her right to school had been taken away. Sonam, kept out of school for four years and once aspiring to be a doctor, said she has given up her dreams.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, described the situation as unacceptable and called for the Taliban to lift restrictions on girls above sixth grade continuing education and on women attending university.

Nearly four years have passed since girls stopped attending university and five years since those above sixth grade were barred from schools. The UN Children's Fund has reported that more than 2.2 million girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of schooling due to these restrictions.

Human rights activists warned that the policies could lead to further violations of women's rights, including increased forced marriages, and have long-term negative impacts on the country's development and progress.