The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) expressed deep concern regarding Afghanistan's ongoing educational crisis where the ban on secondary education for girls continues for the third year. New UNESCO data shows that at least 1.4 million girls have been deliberately denied access to secondary education in Afghanistan, an increase of 300,000 since the previous report conducted by UNESCO in April. Director-General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay said that as of today, Afghanistan is the only country in the world that bans the education of girls and women above the age of 12 and that everyone should be concerned about this situation. The international community must remain fully engaged until schools and universities are reopened for Afghan girls and women without conditions, Azoulay added. Since 2021, UNESCO has set up programs including literacy courses and has invested in distance learning via radio and television, however, the organization says that all this still cannot r eplace the benefits and experience of formal classroom education. Source: Qatar News Agency