UNESCO: 1.4 million girls banned from Afghan schools since Taliban return

Afghan girls attend a religious school, which remained open since the Taliban's takeover more than two years ago, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug 11, 2022. [Getty Images]

At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with the future of an entire generation now "in jeopardy", the United Nations' cultural agency said Thursday.

Access to primary education has also fallen sharply, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, UNESCO said in a statement as the Taliban authorities marked three years since retaking Afghanistan on August 15, 2021.