National Examination Authority (NEA) announced the results of Afghanistan’s university entrance exam, officially known as Kankor, today. Unlike in previous years, no female test takers are seen among the top 10 scorers of the countrywide exam.
Before the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, female test takers scored highest in the nationwide Kankor for two consecutive years.
This year, the NEA announced the Kankor results on Saturday, November 05, with male test takers appearing as all the top 10 scorers from different provinces.
According to the results, Sulaiman son of Ghulam Jilani from Herat province scored the highest (355.42/360). He has succeeded to get admission into the field of medical science at Herat University.
Mohammad Sher son of Nazir Hussain got the second-highest score (355.32/360) from Kabul, making it to the medical science at Kabul University of Medical Sciences. Hedayatullah son of Abdul Manan from Herat and Mohammad Zia from Ghazni respectively scored the 3rd and 4th highest in the nationwide exam.
This comes as the ruling Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women’s rights to education, women’s rights to work, and women’s public participation in the country. The girls above the 6th grade are effectively banned from schooling since August 2021.
In addition to these restrictions, a suicide bombing targeted a tuition center preparing girls and boys for the Kankor exam on September 30. The attack killed nearly 60 students, mostly girls, and injured more than 120 others.
