Kabul: The third round of Afghanistan's national university entrance examinations, known as the Kankor, has commenced in Kabul with a total exclusion of female candidates for the fourth year running.
The Taliban-run National Examination Authority began administering the tests at Kabul University for 12th-grade graduates from Kabul province, with examinations scheduled across multiple days.
According to Rahimullah Haqqani, the administrative and technical deputy head of the National Examination Authority, more than 110,000 candidates have participated in the first three rounds of the examinations across the country. Officials anticipate the total turnout will reach approximately 120,000 students following the conclusion of a fourth round of testing, with registrations remaining open until 8 June.
The complete absence of female students in the examination halls follows the systemic restrictions imposed since the Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021. The administration has barred girls from attending secondary education beyond the sixth class and banned women from accessing higher education at universities. These ongoing prohibitions have effectively blocked female students from sitting the Kankor exams, which are a mandatory prerequisite for pursuing university degrees in Afghanistan.
The systemic exclusion of girls and women from the educational sector has drawn widespread condemnation from the United Nations, foreign governments, and international human rights organisations, all of whom have repeatedly called for an immediate reversal of the restrictions.
The ban on female education extends heavily into primary and secondary schooling. Earlier this year, the new academic session commenced with secondary schools remaining shut to girls above the sixth class for the fifth consecutive year. While the Taliban's Education Ministry launched the academic year with formal ceremonies attended by senior officials as classes resumed in colder provinces, domestic pressure for reform continues.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently renewed his public appeal for the administration to reopen schools and universities to girls and to restore employment rights for women. In a public message, Karzai emphasised that national progress and economic prosperity are impossible without a fully educated population, urging the government to grant all citizens an equal stake in the country's future and to utilize the expertise of its female workforce.
(Inputs from IANS)