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UNESCO put the number of Afghan girls shut out of secondary school at 2.4 million on Tuesday and called for the ban to be lifted, warning of lasting damage to health care, the economy and public administration.
The Taliban have barred girls from secondary education in Afghanistan since returning to power in 2021. UN bodies, led by UNESCO, press the authorities to reverse the ban and track how many girls are affected; the Taliban leadership has kept it in place.
UNESCO said on Tuesday that 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, and urged an end to the ban. The agency warns of lasting damage to the country's health care, economy and public administration.