Afghanistan: Five years on, 2.6 million Afghan girls remain shut out of classrooms, UNICEF says.

SHOTLIST KHOST, AFGHANISTAN (MARCH 12, 2023) (FILE FOOTAGE) 1. VARIOUS OF LITTLE GIRLS IN VILLAGE 2. VARIOUS OF LITTLE GIRLS WAITING IN LINE 3. GIRL’S PICTURE BEING TAKEN (2 SHOTS) NAHRI SARAJ DISTRICT, HELMAND PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN 2022) (FILE FOOTAGE) 4. VARIOUS OF STUDENTS ATTENDING CLASS UNDER TREE AS VOLUNTEER TEACHER ABDUL QADIR PASON LECTURING 5. VARIOUS OF STUDENTS IN FRONT OF WHITE BOARD READING SENTENCES ON THE BOARD, OTHERS REPEATING AFTER THEM 6. TIGHT SHOT OF GIRLS SITTING ON THE GROUND REPEATING AFTER THE TEACHER (2 SHOTS) 7. WIDE SHOT OF STUDENTS SITING UNDER TREE 8. TIGHT SHOT OF GIRL READING WORDS WRITTEN ON THE BOARD, STUDENTS REPEATING AFTER HER 9. PASON STANDING IN FRONT OF STUDENTS ASKING QUESTION, STUDENTS REPLYING ALL TOGETHER 10. TIGHT SHOTS OF GIRLS DURING LESSON (2 SHOTS) 11. WHITE SHOT OF GIRL IN FRONT OF THE BOARD, READING OUT SENTENCE ON THE BOARD STUDENTS REPEATING AFTER HER 12. GIRLS LEAVING CLASS KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (FEB. 02, 2022) (FILE FOOTAGE) 13. WIDE SHOT OF STUDENTS LEAVING UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, WOMEN WEARING BURQAS WALKING IN FRONT 14. SIGN OF UNIVERSITY OVER GATE 15. MALE STUDENTS WALKING IN CAMPUS KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 27, 2021) (FILE FOOTAGE) 16. GRADUATED STUDENTS WEARING ROBES WALKING DOWN ON STEPS, FEMALE STUDENTS WEARING FACE VEILS (2 SHOTS) 17. STUDENTS STANDING, LISTENING TO RECITATION OF HOLY QURAN (2 SHOTS) 18. VARIOUS OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN FRONT OF MALES 19. CLOSE-UP OF FEMALE STUDENTS WITH YELLOW FACE VEILS KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 28, 2021) (FILE FOOTAGE) 20. VARIOUS OF AFGHAN YOUNG WOMEN ATTENDING ENGLISH CLASS IN SHERZAI EDUCATION CENTER 21. STUDENTS LEAVING CLASSROOM KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 17, 2021) (FILE FOTAGE) 22. SOUNDBITE (Dari) TALIBAN’S SPOKESMAN ZABIULLAH MUJAHED SAYING: “A woman is an important element and part of society. A woman should take part in rebuilding the country. In a proper manner and within the framework of the principles, she can have a job and she can work. Because we need women in education and in many other fields. Our society needs them. They will be present with us and will be able to carry out their activities.” KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AUGUST 17, 2021) (FILE FOOTAGE) 23. VARIOUS OF AFGHAN WOMEN DEMONSTRATING TO DEMAND THEIR RIGHTS, HOLDING BANNERS MAZAR-I SHARIF, AFGHANISTAN (OCTOBER 14, 2021) (FILE FOTAGE) 24. VARIOUS OF FEMALE STUDENTS IN CLASSROOM KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (NOVEMBER 2022) (FILE FOTAGE) 25. VARIOUS OF AFGHAN BOYS ENTERING AND EXITING CLASSROOM 26. VARIOUS OF GIRLS IN CLASSROOM / TEACHER WRITING NOTES ON BOARD 27. VARIOUS OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IN CLASSROOM 28. VARIOUS OF BOYS AND GIRLS STUDYING IN CLASSROOM KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (MARCH 23, 2022) (FILE FOOTAGE) 29. WIDE SHOT OF STUDENTS, INCLUDING GIRLS SITTING ON CHAIRS AT SCHOOLYARD AHEAD OF CEREMONY 30 VARIOUS OF SCHOOLGIRLS WEARING BLACK UNIFORMS AND WHITE HEADSCARVES SITTING 31. MAN BEATING GONG HANGING ON METAL POLE AT YARD 32. GIRLS WALKING AT YARD 33. GIRLS SITTING, ATTENDING LESSON IN CLASSROOM (2 SHOTS) (FILE VIDEO) VARIOUS REGIONS IN AFGHANISTAN (2021, 2022 AND 2023) - More than 2.6 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the country's de facto authorities took power five years ago, UNICEF said on Friday, Aug. 14. The agency said Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where secondary and higher education are effectively closed to girls and women. Girls have been barred from formal education beyond grade six since September 2021, while women have been excluded from universities since December 2022. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that keeping girls out of school also increases their exposure to child labor, early marriage, violence and abuse, particularly in families affected by poverty and displacement. The agency estimates that restrictions on girls' education and women's employment are costing Afghanistan around $84 million a year in lost economic output. UNICEF urged the de facto authorities to immediately reverse the restrictions and allow girls and women to return to schools and universities.