Afghanistan: University entrance exams start without girls' participation

Kabul [Afghanistan], August 4 : The second round of the university entrance exam in Afghanistan started without the participation of girls, TOLO News reported. 
TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul. 
The exam began on Thursday in twelve provinces of the country. It is supposed to go on for two days. 
The National Examination Authority (NEXA) said that in this round, 29,000 graduates of the twelfth grade, all boys, will take the test. 
The university entrance exam's second round has begun in the provinces of Badghis, Kandahar, Panjshir, Ghazni, Farah, Kapisa, Laghman, Nuristan, Helmand, Kunar, Nangarhar, and Maidan Wardak. 
A NEXA member Moder Jan Kotwal said: “The second round of the exam is to be held in 12 provinces of the country, where about 29,000 people will participate.” 
"This year, 537 students from Badghis province filled out forms,” said Samaruddin Jebran, another NEXA member. 
Some exam participants asked the Taliban to allow girls to participate in the exam. 
"We hope that they (girls) will be able to participate in next year's exam, we need educated women and girls in our society,” a participant Abdul Ghafoor told TOLO News. 
Meanwhile, some female students who are banned from taking the entrance exam are now concerned about their future. They asked that Taliban to reopen schools for girls above the sixth grade. 
A student in Badghis, Somaya, said: "We ask the Taliban to open universities for girls, girls are the destiny makers of Afghanistan’s future." 
As per NEXA data, around 125,000 candidates will take part in this year’s Kankor test. A total of 25,000 twelfth-grade graduates participated in the first round of the exam, TOLO News reported.