The Afghan higher education ministry under Taliban control recently announced the appointment of at least 850 new teachers in public universities last year. This included 550 teachers specializing in 'Islamic culture'. In contrast, they also revealed the results of the first-ever male-only university entrance exam, a move that demonstrates a clear defiance of both internal and international calls to end the exclusion of women and girls from education.
The announcement of the university entrance exam results took place during a high-profile ceremony in Kabul on September 4, attended by top Taliban leaders. This year's exam, known as 'Kankor,' marked the second one since the Taliban took power in August 2021 but the first to exclusively admit male students.
In the previous year's Kankor exam in 2022, female students were allowed to participate, primarily those who had completed high school before the Taliban's takeover. However, they were later restricted to specific subjects in universities and were denied the opportunity to apply for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. Within weeks of the 2022 academic year's commencement, all female students across the country were instructed to discontinue their studies and remain at home.
The 2023 Kankor results made it abundantly clear that women were no longer considered equal or entitled to pursue higher education under the Taliban's rule. Despite the absence of thousands of female candidates for the first time during the Taliban's second stint in power, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the higher education minister, stated that the number of university applicants had "increased," and efforts were made to ensure that no one was left without results.
Officials from the Higher Education Ministry revealed in their annual report that hundreds of teachers specializing in Islamic culture had been hired for universities. Deputy Minister for Higher Education Lutfullah Khairkhwah explained during a press conference in Kabul that religious studies were not previously widely taught in universities. However, due to the increased emphasis on Islamic culture in the curriculum, the number of teachers in this field had also risen, according to Khairkhwah.
Comentários