Taliban Urges Top Kankor Students to Study in Afghanistan

DID Press: Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, has called on the top performers in Afghanistan’s 2026 university entrance examination (Kankor) to pursue their higher education at domestic universities and contribute to the country’s development.

Speaking at a ceremony honoring the highest-scoring candidates, Hanafi said the Taliban administration would provide the necessary opportunities to support young people’s education and capacity-building, stressing the importance of harnessing their academic potential for national progress.

During the event, the National Examination Authority recognized the 10 top-ranked candidates in the 1405 Kankor examination. The authority’s head, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said the examination process was conducted transparently and aimed to ensure fairness for all applicants.

Haqqani also emphasized the importance of both modern higher education and religious studies, saying Afghanistan’s future development depends on strengthening both sectors.

The ceremony took place after approximately 117,000 candidates sat the 1405 Kankor examination, with more than 74,000 students admitted to higher education institutions.

The announcement, however, comes as female students remain barred from attending universities for a fourth consecutive year, preventing them from participating equally in higher education and the national university entrance examination. The restriction has remained a central focus of criticism by international organizations and education rights advocates.