According to new data from UNESCO, approximately 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan are deprived of the opportunity to receive secondary education due to movement restrictions imposed by the Taliban. Over the past year, the number of such girls has increased by approximately 200,000.
Afghanistan is the only country in the world where women and girls are prohibited from attending both secondary and higher education institutions. After the Taliban seized power in 2021, schools stopped admitting girls over the age of twelve, and in December 2022, universities were closed to women.
Before these bans were introduced, there had been a gradual improvement in the situation: by 2021, about one million girls were studying in the country's secondary schools, and the percentage of literate women increased from 17% to nearly 30% over the last twenty years.
UNESCO expresses concern that the imposed restrictions will completely nullify the successes of the last two decades and lead to serious long-term social and economic consequences. The organization strongly urges the immediate and unconditional restoration of access for girls and women to school and university education.
Furthermore, it was previously reported that Afghan authorities banned the procedure for verifying academic documents for women, which effectively deprived them of the right to continue their studies or find employment outside the country.
Among the youth protesting in Ranchi and holding demonstrations for the past 20 days, one main question is being raised: if the government can cancel the 14th JPSC exams and delayed exams, why is it hesitant about canceling the JSSC-CGL exam?
Recently, government representative and minister Hemant Soren, Sudivya Kumar Sonu, held extensive negotiations with student delegations. The government claims to have met '98% of student demands,' but it has categorically refused to cancel the JSSC-CGL exam, which has caused the most resonance.
The government's main argument is legal in nature. Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu stated that the JSSC-CGL exam was conducted under the supervision and in accordance with the directives of the Supreme and High Courts. In the government's view, the regional government does not have the right to unilaterally cancel an exam when the matter is under the oversight of higher courts. Cancellation without strong legal grounds would lead to judicial review proceedings.
The second argument is that the CGL exam process has already advanced significantly: results have been published, and many successful candidates have already started working in their appointed positions. In this situation, canceling the entire exam could lead to already selected candidates filing lawsuits, halting the entire process for years.
Students demand the complete cancellation of the CGL exam and an investigation into the matter by the CBI. However, the government took the opposite stance and rejected the request for a CBI investigation. Instead, the government proposed an inquiry through the CID and suggested creating a monitoring committee chaired by a 'retired judge.' The government added that if the CID investigation finds evidence of large financial transactions, it will approach the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for an investigation, but the exam will not be canceled under any circumstances.
Protesting students (JPSC-JSSC Nyay Manch candidates) completely reject the government's arguments. Leaders of the student movements claim that the government is spreading falsehoods about meeting 98% of the demands. In fact, out of 13 disputed exams, only three were canceled (the preliminary stage of the 14th JPSC and the delayed JPSC exams of 2023 and 2025). Students believe that since there is full evidence of material leakage and fraud by the TDPL agency, canceling the exam under the pretext of court action only protects the syndicate.
>For hundreds of thousands of young people dreaming of becoming teachers in Bihar, graduates of B.Ed. and master's programs, this news is a significant relief. For months, the demands from applicants, voiced in Patna and on social media alike, boiled down to one thing: 'Conduct our STET before TRE-4!'
Ultimately, the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) and the Department of Education responded to the persistent demands of the applicants. According to the latest information from the Chairman of the Bihar Council, Dr. Tyagradhan SM, preparations for conducting STET 2026 in the state have officially begun.
The Council has prepared a comprehensive plan for candidates awaiting teacher qualification in secondary and senior schools (grades 9 to 12). The Bihar Council plans to publish the official notification (gazette) for STET 2026 in newspapers and on its official portal on August 14.
Starting August 17, applicants will be able to complete online registration and submit applications on the Council's official website. This notification will detail all aspects concerning the proposed exam dates, subject syllabus, registration fees, and qualification requirements.
The issue is that the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) is preparing to announce the fourth phase of the teacher recruitment competition, known as BPSC TRE-4.0. However, because the STET exam has not been conducted for the last year to year and a half, millions of new B.Ed. graduates were on the verge of being excluded from this hiring process.
The applicants' argument was very clear: if the TRE-4 notification is published without prior completion of STET, they will automatically be outside the race for teacher recruitment with no opportunity to correct mistakes. This led to constant petitions and the formation of protest plans across the state.
Following the statement by the Chairman of the Bihar Council, Dr. Tyagradhan SM, millions of young people who had spent months studying textbooks and participating in rallies in Gardanibagh rejoiced. This decision by the Department of Education demonstrates that the system is forced to make decisions, abandoning its inertia when youth demands are justified.
It now remains to be seen how quickly the Council will announce the exam dates after the application submission procedure is completed, so that all these applicants have the opportunity to participate in TRE-4.
