Afghan Biographies

Haqqani, Abdul Baqi


Name Haqqani, Abdul Baqi
Ethnic backgr. Pashtun
Date of birth 1961
Function/Grade Head of National Examination Authority acting
History and Biodata

2. Previous Function:
Provincial Governor Khost
Provincial Governor Paktika
Deputy Minister of Information and Culture
Official in Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Minister of higher Education (20211005, 20221018) acting
Head of National Examination Authority (NEA, NEXA) (20230710, 20240315)

3. Biodata:
Abdul Bari Haqqani Bashir Mohammad Shaikh Abdul Baqi Haqqani was born 1961 in Jalalabad, Nangahar Province. He said that those who have graduated from high schools during the past twenty years are of no use. The acting minister is meant by the graduates who have studied during the non-Taliban era when they were fighting the US-backed governments of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani.
 

Abdul Bari Haqqani made the statements in a meeting with the university lecturers in KabulHaqqani said that they must hire teachers who instill the students and incoming generations the values that are of use in the country and Afghanistan can utilize their talents in the future. Earlier, the acting minister of higher education had said that the Master’s and Ph.D. holders of modern studies are less valuable than those who have studied in madrasas and have religious studies in Afghanistan.

The statement of Haqqani comes as the period 2001-2020 is said to be one of the most important and rich eras when it comes to the level of education in Afghanistan.(20210104)
 

The acting Minister of Higher Education expressed criticism of the travel ban on him and the deputy education minister. Abdul Baqi Haqqani called on the international community to remain supportive of the Afghan education sector. The UN Security Council imposed a travel ban on two officials of the Islamic Emirate including Abdul Bari Haqqani, who had previously been granted a travel exemption from the sanction.(20220627)

Haqqani has announced that the national university entrance exam, officially known as Kankor, will be conducted in three categories of medical, social, and scientific sciences, while women’s education remains banned.

Haqqani made the announcement in an interview with the state-run Bakhtar News Agency on Sunday, saying this amendment will “enable school graduates to take the exam in their preferred fields of study and based on their talents.”

However, he did not provide further information about the new categorization of Kankor.

More than 200,000 applicants take the nationwide Kankor exam each year.

However, the Taliban’s widespread ban on women’s education, barring women from attending universities since December 2022 and restricting girls’ education beyond sixth grade since March of the same year, has significantly affected millions of girls and women.

Despite international condemnation and pressure, the Taliban authorities have shown no sign of lifting the ban.

In the last year’s Kankor exam, girls’ participation was drastically low and no female test takers were seen among the highest scorers. While before the Taliban takeover in August 2021, female test takers topped the Kankor exam for two consecutive years.

It remains unclear if female applicants would be allowed to take the Kankor exam this year, while universities remain shut for women and girls.(20230710)



 

Last Modified 2024-03-13
Established 2021-08-30