In Afghanistan, women repeatedly take to the streets against the Taliban government. Surprisingly, the girls are now allowed to take their exams, but they are not allowed to attend secondary schools. The announcement caused mixed feelings.
The Taliban have already banned girls in Afghanistan from attending secondary schools, but now, according to local media, those in power have invited the schoolgirls to take the final exams at short notice. The exam for girls in the twelfth grade, i.e. the last school year, takes place today. A student from Kabul told the German Press Agency that the school had informed her about the exam just a few days beforehand.
The short-term announcement caused frustration among many girls. “First we couldn’t attend classes and now we’re supposed to take an exam,” one test taker told local news channel Tolo News. Another complained that she had no teaching materials at all due to the school closures. Nevertheless, there was also joy about the “small chance”, as other participants said. A successful exam could pave the way to university – these are still open to women.
Again and again women in Afghanistan take to the streets for their right to education and work. In March of this year, the Taliban announced the opening of girls’ secondary schools – only to close them again on the same day. Since taking power in August 2021, the militant Islamists have also been criticized internationally for their massive curtailment of women’s rights. They recently banned women from public parks and gyms in the capital, Kabul.
