The United Nations on Sunday called for Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to reopen schools to girls in Classes VII-XII, calling the anniversary of their exclusion from high school “shameful”.

The UN said it was increasingly concerned that the policy, together with other restrictions on basic freedoms, would contribute to a deepening of the country’s economic crisis.

“This is a tragic, shameful, and entirely avoidable anniversary,” said Markus Potzel, acting head of the UN mission in Afghanistan.

“The ongoing exclusion of girls from high school has no credible justification and has no parallel anywhere in the world. It is profoundly damaging to a generation of girls and to the future of Afghanistan itself,” said Potzel.

To mark the Sunday anniversary, 50 girls sent a letter titled “A Year of Darkness: A Letter from Afghan girls to heads of Muslim countries and other world leaders”. The girls hail from the capital Kabul, eastern Nangarhar province and northern Parwan province.