The Taliban’s National Examination Authority said on Wednesday it had added 40,000 new questions to the country’s university entrance exam bank over the past year, adding that some specific changes have also been brought to the queries.
Tailban’s head of the authority, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, told a press conference in Kabul that previously, questions were developed in Persian and later translated into Pashto. Now, he noted, exam questions are prepared separately in both languages, reflecting what he described as improved standardization.
Haqqani added that over the past year, the authority has administered group exams to 21,961 applicants across 70 sessions. These have included national university entrance exams (Kankor), religious school assessments, exit exams, and specialized subject tests.
This comes as Taliban continue to bar girls and women from participating in all types of exams, including university entrance exams and medical school exit exams. Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban have sharply curtailed women’s access to public education, drawing widespread condemnation from international bodies and human rights groups.
Many young women say the ban has left them with no path forward after years of study.
Despite the Taliban’s claims of improving exam infrastructure, critics argue that the exclusion of women undermines the credibility and inclusivity of any such reforms.
