8 Subh, Kabul: The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) welcomes the reopening of boys’ secondary schools after months of closure in Afghanistan, but says girls should not be deprived of education.
Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF said in a statement on Friday, September 17, that she welcomes the reopening of schools in Afghanistan after months of downtime. However, she has expressed concerns that many girls may not be allowed to return.
“Girls cannot and should not be abandoned,” she says. “It is very important that all girls, including older girls, must resume their education without further delay.”
The UNICEF Executive Director notes that 4.2 million children have not been able to enroll in schools, 60% of whom are girls.
However, Ms. Fore noted that significant academic progress has been made in Afghanistan over the past two decades. According to her, the number of schools has tripled and the number of students has increased from one million to 9.5 million.
UNICEF, meanwhile, has also called on its partners to be involved in supporting children in Afghanistan.
