KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban-run Ministry of Education announced on Tuesday that it had conducted a mock college entrance exam, known as the Kankor, for 2,611 male students in Bamiyan Province.
This comes as girls remain barred from attending high school or participating in university entrance exams under Taliban rule.
Enayatullah Sahar, the Taliban’s head of education in Bamiyan, said the purpose of the exam was to familiarize 12th-grade male students with the format and procedures of the Kankor.
The trial exam was also held for students in various districts across Bamiyan, the ministry reported.
In the latest Kankor exam, no female students were allowed to participate, continuing the Taliban’s prohibition on education for girls beyond primary school. Despite widespread criticism and calls to lift the restrictions, the Taliban have yet to reverse their ban on secondary and higher education for girls.
Female students in Afghanistan have repeatedly called on the Taliban to restore their right to education, which they view as a fundamental Islamic and human right. The ban has sparked condemnation both domestically and internationally.
Recently, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, a rights group advocating for Pashtun communities, held a large gathering known as the “Justice Jirga,” reportedly attended by over a million people, where they urged the Taliban to lift their restrictions on education for girls. The group demanded that Afghan girls be allowed to pursue their education freely.
