The tests will be held on Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the Taliban government . The examination will be held in 31 provinces, according to a source with knowledge of the Taliban government .
The examination will be held in 31 provinces, according to a source with knowledge of the Taliban government, who announced on Tuesday that Afghan girls would be able to take their high school graduation exams this week, despite being banned from schooling since the former rebels took over the country last year.The decision applies to 31 out of Afghanistan's 34 provinces where the winter school break begins in late December, according to two documents from the Taliban ministry of education obtained by The Associated Press.The tests will be held on Wednesday, according to Ehsanullah Kitab, the head of the Kabul education department.He gave no other details, and it was unclear how many teenage girls would be able to pass the test.
The tests would be conducted in 31 Afghan provinces, according to a second document signed by Habibullah Agha, the education minister who took office in September.The three excluded provinces, Kandahar, Helmand, and Nimroz, have a different school year schedule, and high school graduation exams are typically held there later in the year.Najela, an 18-year-old Kabul girl, said it was absurd, giving only her first name out of fear of reprisals.She would now be in the twelfth grade and eligible for the exam. After a year and a half when the Taliban have kept school doors closed, how can we even take an examination, she said.In August 2021, the Taliban overran Afghanistan, the country's last weeks of withdrawal after 20 years of war.Despite promising a more moderate rule and women's and minority rights, they have weakened rights and freedoms and used a harsh interpretation of Islamic law and Sharia.They've exempted girls from middle school and high school, banned girls from most jobs, and even forced them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Under the Taliban, women haven't been barred from entering universities, and the most recent development suggests that Afghan girls who successfully complete a high school diploma after Wednesday's test will be able to apply for colleges.According to a Kabul high school principal, twelfth grade girls will have just one day to take exams in 14 subjects, with ten questions for each subject.Most of the school's girls had no textbooks, according to the principal, who spoke on anonymity for fear of reprisals.According to her, taking an examination has no value. After the winter break, girls who cannot attend or fail the Wednesdays exam will be able to retake it in mid-March.The treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban has received a lot of flak.A group of UN experts said earlier this month that it could be a crime against humanity and that it should be investigated and prosecuted under international law, an allegation denied by the Taliban.