Taliban on Saturday banned female students from taking university entrance exams this year in all public and private universities in Afghanistan, reported the country’s local media outlets. Afghanistan’s universities need applicants to take the Kankor test. Thousands of high school graduates take this exam each year to continue their education at public, state-run, or private colleges.
In the latest decree, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education announced a complete ban on female students’ enrollment in educational institutions effective from Saturday, 28 January 2023.
According to the statement, private institutions must abide by the Taliban’s rules and regulations and refrain from violating the most recent decree that limits the entrance of female students to private universities; otherwise, they risk facing penalties.
This comes as the international community and humanitarian groups continue to pressure the Taliban regime to ease restrictions on Afghan women and girls’ access to education. Recently, in a bid to reverse the ban on women aid workers, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths met several Taliban officials.
The Taliban’s ban on women working in NGOs has prompted major international aid agencies to suspend operations in Afghanistan. It also raised fears that millions will be deprived of critical services.
Notably, the de facto authorities in Afghanistan have limited women’s freedom of movement since 15 August, 2021. They prevented women from attending secondary education, excluding them from the majority of the workforce, and forbade them from visiting parks, gyms, and public bathrooms. Afghan women and girls are ultimately confined within the four walls of their houses as a result of these restrictions.
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