In spite of the fact that they have been prohibited from attending classes since the former insurgents took control of the nation last year, Afghan girls will be permitted to take their high school graduation exams this week, according to an official and documents from the Taliban government on December 6.
Two documents from the Taliban ministry of education that The Associated Press was able to obtain the state that the decision is applicable to 31 of Afghanistan’s 34 regions where the winter vacation begins in late December.
The tests will be held on December 7, according to Ehsanullah Kitab, the head of Kabul’s education division.
He gave no further explanation, and it was unclear how many adolescent girls would be permitted to take the test.
The tests would take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to one of the documents from the Kabul education department.
The tests would be administered in 31 Afghan regions, according to a second document signed by Habibullah Agha, the education minister who assumed office in September.
The three excluded provinces, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimroz, follow a separate schedule for the academic year and often have delayed high school graduation tests.
In August 2021, as US and NATO soldiers prepared to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of conflict, the Taliban took control of the nation.
In spite of their original pledges to enact a more moderate system and protect the rights of women and minorities, they have instead severely curtailed these liberties and widely enforced their stringent version of Islamic law, or Sharia.
They have forbidden girls from attending middle and high schools, barred them from the majority of jobs, and required them to dress completely in public. Additionally, playgrounds, gyms, and amusement fairs are off-limits to women.
Under the Taliban, women had access to universities, and the most recent development implies that Afghan girls who pass the high school graduation exam on December 7 will be able to apply to colleges.
Girls in the 12th grade will have just one day to complete 14 tests with 10 questions each, according to the principal of a high school in Kabul. According to the principal, who requested anonymity out of concern for retaliation, the majority of female students lack textbooks.
According to the Taliban’s dress code for women, all of the students’ female teachers must wear the hijab or headscarf, and cellphone use is prohibited during exams. Girls who fail December 7’s exam or are unable to attend will be given the opportunity to retake it in mid-March, following the winter break.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has come under harsh criticism for how they treat women and girls. The Taliban have refuted the claim made earlier this month by a team of UN experts that it might constitute a crime against humanity and should be looked into and prosecuted in accordance with international law.
News Mania Desk
