AFGHANISTAN. Herat: Herat, popularly known as the land of poets, and scientists, in northwestern Afghanistan, has seen a significant rise of interest in education in mid of devastating war. Interestingly, girls make up more than 50% of the students at Herat University, according to data by Herat University.
The University has over 11,000 students studying in 71 different departments. According to the data, out of 11,000 students only 5,500 are girls. But, with the new entrance exam this month, it’s predicted that the number of girl students will see a dramatic change.
At least 56 percent of the participants of the Herat university entrance exam this year were girls.
Fatema, who studies journalism at Herat university said, “Girls study harder, and get the best scores in terms of their practical works and the lessons.”
“This is great news for me, I wish this (56%) goes to 70. You know girls are more excluded almost at any level. This will give them a rise,” she added.
Asina, another student from the journalism faculty said, “Two years ago, my father was so pessimistic about going to college, but now he has motivated two other sisters of mine. Believe it the minds will change.”
“We must be proud of men for they support their girls’ education,” she said.
“Women have an active presence in our master’s programs. 53 out of 213 women applicants found their way to a master’s degree in this year’s exam. Interest in education among Herat girls has increased compared to past years,” Abdullah Fayiz, head of the university, told TOLO News.
Also Read: Militant Group Calls For Attacks On French And US Interests In Djibouti
Naser, a journalism student said he’s hopeful that society will now see gender diversity.
“Honestly, I don’t want to be educated if my sister is not. We want the same for our sisters and brothers. This is a hopeful sign of improvement in Herat. Hope this continues.”
“This shows how much passion lives in families for sending allowing girls to educate.”
According to Herat University, the figures are unprecedented and indicate that girls score higher in all subjects than boys.
“Believe it or not, the top students in our class are girls with the highest score. We can’t compete with some of them. They study all day, but we study just the day before the exam,” Ahmad, a journalism student said.
“They deserve this with their efforts. And hope one day they have the most of the jobs in society,” he said.
Comments are closed.