Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 29/01/2023
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its disappointment over the decision announced on Saturday 28 January 2023 by the de facto Administration in Afghanistan, banning female students from taking university entrance exams this year in all public and private universities across the country.
This latest decree further tightens the sweeping restrictions proclaimed by the Kabul de facto authorities on girls’ and women’s access to education and public work. The ban comes shortly after the OIC Executive Committee convened on 11 January 2023 an Extraordinary Meeting on the “Recent Developments and the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan”.
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.”
The OIC General Secretariat strongly reiterates the Executive Committee’s call. 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.
