Afghanistan’s school year starts without more than 1 million girls barred from education by Taliban

RAHIM FAIEZ

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The school year in Afghanistan has started but without girls whom the Taliban barred from attending classes beyond the sixth grade, making it the only country with restrictions on female education. The U.N. children’s agency says more than 1 million girls are affected by the ban. It also estimates 5 million were out of school before the Taliban takeover due to a lack of facilities and other reasons. The Taliban’s education ministry marked the start of the new academic year Wednesday with a ceremony that female journalists were not allowed to attend. The Taliban have barred women from higher education, public spaces, and most jobs as part of harsh measures they imposed after taking power in 2021.