Afghanistan: Female students request inclusion in university exam

Female students in Afghanistan, who have completed the twelfth grade, have requested the Islamic Emirate to allow them to participate in this year’s kankor exam.

A female student, named Sahar, said she went to her school for the entrance examination form, but was not given an entrance exam card after which he returned home disappointed, Tolo News reported.

“This year we went to our schools to receive the entrance exam form, but they told us that they have not yet given any information from the higher education department about taking the entrance exam for female students,” she said.

Another student said, “When we went to school, they didn’t allow us to receive the kankor exam form and said that still nothing is clear now about girls’ entrance exam”.

Further, female students called on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for them. “Whatever law they say, we observe; they said hijab we wear hijab, we just want them to reopen universities and schools for girls,” a student said.

Another added, “Reopen education doors for girls so they can serve their country”.

Women rights activists believe that their removal from society will bring unfortunate consequences. “Removing women and girls from society has unfortunate consequences,” Azada Bakhshi, a women’s rights activist, said.

On the other hand, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education has refused to talk about the entrance examination of female students, Tolo News reported.

Without naming female students, the National Examinations Authority informed that they have distributed kankor entrance forms to 150,000 students across the country.

“150,000 kankor entrance forms have been distributed for the 1402 entrance examination, and 106,617 will be enrolled in higher and semi-higher education,” Fazal Haq Hashimi, the spokesman of the National Examinations Authority said.