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The Taliban-controlled Ministry of Higher Education has ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit for university entrance exams next month, underscoring a policy to restrict women from higher education.
The letter from the ministry was addressed to institutions in the northern provinces of Afghanistan, including Kabul, where the exams will be held from the end of February. The letter said institutions that do not comply with the rules will face legal action.
The Ministry of Higher Education in December told universities not to admit female students “until further notice.”
A few days later, the Taliban government stopped female NGO workers from working.
Most of the girls’ secondary schools were also closed by the authorities.
A curse from abroad
Restrictions on women’s employment and education drew international condemnation.
Western diplomats have signaled that the Taliban must change course on their policies towards women in order to gain official international recognition and reduce their economic isolation.
The country is in the midst of an economic crisis, partly due to sanctions affecting the banking sector and reducing development funding, with aid agencies warning tens of millions are in need of emergency aid.
However, a World Bank report this week also said the Taliban government, which it says is focusing on greater economic self-sufficiency, maintained revenue collections last year and exports rose.
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