The appeal by UNICEF comes as a new school year began in Afghanistan without girls beyond sixth grade. The ban, said the agency, has deprived 400,000 more girls of their right to education, bringing ...

UNICEF is constructing 165 schools for girls and boys across Afghanistan, complete with solar panels, latrine blocks and drilled water wells.

The Ministry of Education of Afghanistan's interim government on Thursday started the new academic year as millions of Afghan students headed to schools without girls beyond sixth grade.