On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Speaking at a video press conference, Unesco’s program coordinator for education in emergencies, Hoda Jaberian, said: "Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally banned from secondary and higher education." Jaberian added: "Unesco continues to call for the immediate and unconditional restoration of girls and women's right to secondary and higher education. Shortly after taking control, the administration blocked girls from secondary schools, later extending the ban to higher education, employment, and wider public life. While female school attendance was minimal in 2001, almost 1 million girls were enrolled in secondary education by 2021.