Taliban Bar Dozens of Students from Exams in Kandahar Over Beards

Semester exams have begun at public and private universities in Kandahar. Students and university staff report that Taliban morality police have been inspecting students' appearances before and during exams, with particular attention to beard length.

Dozens of students have been barred from participating for failing to comply with the regulations. In some cases, individuals were removed from classes or exam halls for further checks, resulting in requirements to retake the affected subjects.

The enforcement has also included morality police entering classrooms to deliver lengthy speeches. These interventions have interrupted lessons and consumed an hour or more of scheduled class time on multiple occasions.

Students, professors, and residents describe an atmosphere of fear and pressure surrounding the measures. Attendance at private universities has declined, with some students discouraged from continuing their studies under the current conditions.

The same forces have interrogated and arrested people with trimmed or shaved beards on the streets of Kandahar. These actions have contributed to broader disruptions in educational activities across the province.