RASC News Agency: The entrance examination for Sheikh Zayed Teaching Hospital in Khost has concluded, with the Taliban announcing that out of the 60 female participants, only one has passed. According to documents released to the media on Wednesday, August 7, at least 100 individuals took part in the exam, 60 of whom were female.
The documents indicate that the Taliban declared the remaining female participants as “unsuccessful.” Maryam (a pseudonym), one of the girls who participated in the exam, stated that the Taliban do not wish to see girls progress, hence the declaration of all but one as unsuccessful. She added, “The Taliban cannot tolerate the advancement of girls. They prevent girls from attending school, university, and work. Now, they have eliminated us from hospital exams, making us victims of a political agenda.”
Additionally, none of the young men who registered for the administrative section of the exam were successful. These young men cited “connections and corruption” as the reasons for their failure. Local Taliban officials have yet to comment on the matter. This comes amid a backdrop of significant restrictions imposed on the lives of girls and women over the past three years by the Taliban.
In Afghanistan under Taliban rule, girls above the sixth grade have been banned from attending school, universities have been closed to them, and they have been prohibited from working in government institutions. This action by the Taliban has sparked widespread reactions, with countries, organizations, and educational and human rights institutions repeatedly calling on the Taliban to lift these restrictions. However, the Taliban continue to delay the removal of these limitations.
