KABUL (TOLONews): With the start of the second round of university entrance exams in the capital, school-aged girls have protested their exclusion from the exam.
These girls, who have been deprived of participating in this exam for two consecutive years, expressed that all their hard work has gone to waste.
They once again called on the interim government to ensure their basic rights.
Nazanin, one of the students, said, “The feeling I have today is probably understood by most girls my age who have stayed up nights and studied, with all the difficulties, in the hope of participating in this exam.”
Several other girls who were kept from the exam expressed concerns about their uncertain future and emphasized the need for girls to participate in the university entrance exam and for schools and universities to reopen.
Hajar, another student, said, “We call on the Islamic Emirate to lift the ban on girls’ right to education.”
Some women’s rights activists described the continued ban of girls from schools and universities as increasing their life challenges.
Humaira Rasa Siddiqui, a women’s rights activist, said, “Today, for the second time, the university entrance exam is being held without the presence of girls, which has caused psychological harm to all girls, as they constitute half of Afghanistan’s society.”
Professor Tafsir Siahposh said, “If the doors of schools and universities are not opened, we cannot say that only women will not have a good future, but Afghanistan will also not have a good future.”
The National Examination Authority announced that the second round of the 1403 (solar year) university entrance exam will be held in the capital on the 1st of Saratan and will continue for two days.
