After Taliban banned female students from appearing in the university entrance exams, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday condemned the decree and stated that this "further tightens the sweeping restrictions proclaimed by the Kabul de facto authorities on girls’ and women’s access to education and public work."
Expressing its disappointment, OIC on its official Twitter handle writes: "OIC General Secretariat expressed its disappointment over the decision announced on Saturday 28/1/2023 by de facto Administration in Afghanistan, banning female students from taking university entrance exams this year in all public and private universities across the country."
Stating that the ban came out shortly after the executive committee convened a meeting to discuss Afghanistan crisis, OIC stated: "The Final Communique of the meeting vehemently called on the de facto Afghan authorities to “…strive towards reopening schools and universities for girls and enable them to enroll in all levels of education and all specializations required by the Afghan people.”
"It exhorts the de facto authorities to reconsider this latest decision and earlier similar edicts for the sake of shunning the academic exclusion of girls and women and its far-reaching social and economic ramifications," the OIC added.
Last month, the Taliban forbade women from attending both private and public colleges. Nida Mohammed Nadim, the Taliban-controlled government's minister of higher education, has said that the restriction is vital to stop the mingling of sexes in colleges and because he thinks some courses being taught go against Islamic values, news agency AP reported.
He had stated in a TV appearance that efforts were being made to address these problems, and once they did, universities will open to women once more.
Similar assurances have been given by the Taliban about females' access to middle and high school, stating that these levels of education will resume after "technical concerns" relating to uniforms and transportation had been resolved. But after the sixth grade, girls are still not allowed in the classroom.
In certain areas, entrance exam began on Sunday; elsewhere in Afghanistan, they start on February 27. Due to seasonal variations, there are distinct term schedules followed by universities throughout Afghanistan.
Numerous private institutions face closure as a result of the restriction, according to Mohammed Karim Nasari, spokesperson for the private universities union, who made this statement last month.
With almost 200,000 students, Afghanistan has 140 private institutions spread across 24 regions. About 60,000 to 70,000 of them are women. About 25,000 individuals work for the institutions.