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The Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan have banned women from annual university entrance exams.

The Ministry of Higher Education has instructed private and public universities in a letter not to allow women to take the entrance exam for the next academic year, local news channel Tolonews reported on Saturday. Officials from the Ministry of Higher Education confirmed the letter and the report from the German press agency.

The Islamists thus temper the hopes of many Afghans that the Taliban could lift the university ban imposed in December after protests in the country and sharp international criticism.

Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, they have massively curtailed women’s rights. Particularly in education, substantial cuts have been made in various phases. First, girls were not allowed to go to school after sixth grade. In December, in a further drastic step, women were finally banned from universities.

The Islamists justified the move by saying, among other things, that the students did not disguise themselves properly and that men and women were taught there together. Many other countries, both Western and Muslim, have strongly condemned the ban. UN Secretary-General António Guterres had asked the Taliban to lift the ban. (sda/dpa)