Contact Admin. Join us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter. Receive UWN's free weekly e-newsletters. Copyright University World News. The event marred the run up to the exam, with women determined to aim for higher education despite a dire security situation, with war persisting in many parts of the country.
In a bid to gain access to the annual exam for entrance to a public university, Zuhra Ali, a young and aspiring high-school graduate from Mazar-e-Sharif, was among a crowd of thousands of girls gathered at the Fatima Balkhi High School in the city on 3 June when she lost her life. Almost all of the students were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which resulted in many fainting while waiting for hours under a scorching sun.
Most were from the provincial capital, which is relatively peaceful, but some braved the journey to the city from faraway districts as well. The tragedy was disheartening for many of the women, while others blasted the administration for the appalling state of the arrangements.
One of the woman students, Fareshta, told University World News that officials were treating applicants rudely and in a discriminatory manner. Officials in Balkh are not taking any responsibility for the tragedy.
Instead they were engaged in a blame game. Sibghatullah Mustaqim, head of the directorate of higher education in Balkh, told the local Ashna Radio the ministry had compelled them to issue the exam application forms to all aspiring students of the province at just one centre. According to official figures, up to , students registered for the Kankor countrywide, to be held in phased sittings by next month. However, only half will succeed in getting places in public universities, which have inadequate seats for the numbers who qualify in the exam.
