The National Examination Authority on Sunday announced the results of this year’s university entrance exam called Kankor, with officials saying a higher number of students passed this year compared to last year.
A total of 87,438 people participated in the nation-wide exam this year, of which 44,738 passed and 17,721 others failed.
The rest, 24,039, were graded eligible to study at private higher education institutions.
Atal Khan Rahim Zoy, son of Muhammad Azim, from Habiba High School in Kabul attained top marks. He got 359.61 marks and will study medicine at Kabul University of Medical Sciences.
Announcing the results at a ceremony on Sunday, Acting Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem said the number of successful candidates had increased this year.
“We are pleased to see progress which promises a bright future for Afghanistan,” Nadeem said.
Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi also emphasized that Afghanistan needs professional and experienced youth in every sector for development.
Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, said: “We must educate our children with determination to defeat the enemies of Afghanistan in every field.”
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Deputy Prime Minister of Political Affairs, also spoke at the ceremony and emphasized that ethnic and linguistic issues have no role in the Kankor exam and the results are determined by the knowledge of the participants.