“NO country can move forward when half its population is left behind,” the United Nations’ children’s agency warned today as Afghanistan’s ban on girls attending school became 1,000 days old.

Unicef executive director Catherine Russell urged Taliban authorities to allow all children to resume learning immediately and called on the international community to support Afghan girls, who need it more than eve, she said.

The agency estimates that more than one million girls are affected.

The Taliban, which returned to power following the retreat of Nato forces in 2021, says it would go against the group’s strict interpretation of Islamic law for girls to continue their education.

Girls were initially barred from attending classes beyond primary school levels, making Afghanistan the only country in the world with such restrictions on female education.

The Taliban initially promised more moderate rule after regaining power, but the Islamist movement has also banned women from public spaces such as parks and removed them from employment.

In a statement, Ms Russell called the systematic exclusion of girls “not only a blatant violation of their right to education but also [a policy that] results in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health.”

She added that Unicef works with partners to run community-based education classes for 600,000 children, two-thirds of them girls, and to train teachers.

Although Afghan boys have access to education, Human Rights Watch has said that the Taliban’s “abusive” educational policies are harming them as well.

In a report published last December, the group said that deep harm had been inflicted on boys’ education as qualified teachers — including women — left the profession and that there has been an increase in corporal punishment.