Afghan female students not allowed to sit university entrance exam: Taliban ministry – World
Kabul: The Taliban-run ministry of higher education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy of banning women from tertiary education.
A letter from the ministry was addressed to institutes in the northern provinces of Afghanistan, including Kabul, where exams are due from the end of February. The letter states that institutions not following the rules will face legal action.
The higher education ministry told universities in December not to admit female students “until further notice”. A few days later, the administration barred most of the women NGO workers from working. Most of the girls’ high schools have also been closed by the authorities.
Afghan women barred from entering universities after Taliban ban
Restrictions on women’s work and education have drawn international condemnation. Western diplomats have indicated that giving the Taliban a chance to gain formal international recognition and reduce their economic isolation would require a change of course on their policies towards women.
The country is in the midst of an economic crisis, partly due to sanctions affecting its banking sector and cuts to development funding, with aid agencies warning millions are in urgent need of aid.
However, a World Bank report this week also noted that the Taliban administration, which has said it is focused on greater economic self-reliance, had kept revenue collections strong last year and exports had increased.
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