Sans females: Afghan Taliban announce entrance exam results

KABUL: The National Examination Authority of Afghanistan announced the results of the 1,402 Kankor university entrance exam in a formal event on Monday.

In a competition that saw higher participation this year, Mahmoud from Farah province emerged as the top scorer with a score of 359, earning him a seat in the Faculty of Medicine at Kabul Medical University.

Following closely behind were Abbas from Kabul with 357 points, Abdul Baais also from Kabul with 355 points, Shafiullah from Ghazni scoring 354, and Hashmatullah from Kabul at 352 points.

All five have been granted admission to the Faculty of Medicine at Kabul University.

Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the chief of the National Examination Authority, said that a total of 84,234 candidates took the exam this year. Out of them, he said, 44,336 qualified for higher education institutions, 2,755 for semi-higher education, and 31,420 secured admissions in private universities.

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Reflecting on the numbers, Abdul Salam Hanafi, the second deputy of the prime minister, noted an approximate increase of 20,000 participants in comparison to past years.

Hanafi emphasised the importance of retaining young talent within the country, urging the youth to harness the educational opportunities available in Afghanistan.

Noorulhaq Anwar, who heads the Administrative Office of the Islamic Emirate, commented on past challenges, stating that Afghanistan had faced issues over the previous decades due to an absence of expertise and dedication.

He implied that it would be challenging for the current Islamic Emirate regime to redress these deficits.

Notably absent from this year’s entrants were female candidates. Under the previous administration, women had clinched the top spot in the entrance exam for two consecutive years. However, since the takeover by the Islamic Emirate, women have been barred from going to schools and colleges and attending universities.