Afghanistan: Taliban orders ban on female students in university entrance exams

Kabul: In the latest decree, the Taliban has banned female students from sitting in university entrance exams which are slated to take place next month, the Afghan news agency TOLOnews reported.

The Taliban Ministry of Higher Education has sent a notice to the universities which state that the girls cannot apply for the exams until further notice. Apparently, they have banned girls from registering for the 1402 (solar year) university entrance exam. The decision was followed by another decree from the caretaker government prohibiting women from working in non-governmental organisations, which sparked outrage on both the national and international levels, TOLOnews reported.

After the Taliban ordered an indefinite ban on university education for Afghan girls, several humanitarian organizations, including Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a United Nations global, billion-dollar fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises called on the Taliban authorities in Kabul to revoke their decision to suspend the university education of Afghan women.

Earlier, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation met earlier this month to discuss the Afghan caretaker government's decision to restrict females' access to education and work at non-governmental organisations.

Many Islamic countries and organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have condemned the ban on women's and girls' access to work and education as a violation of Islamic law.

Since August 15, 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls' freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes.