Failing to Learn: Afghan Girls Repeat Grades to Avoid Exclusion Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.

Failing to Learn: Afghan Girls Repeat Grades to Avoid Exclusion The author is an Afghanistan-based female journalist, trained with Finnish support before the Taliban take-over. Her identity is withheld for security reasons https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/03/failing-to-learn-afghan-girls-repeat-grades-to-avoid-exclusion/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Artisanal_Miners_in_Western_Kenya_Move_Away_From_Mercury_Experts_Rights_Groups_Warn_of_Crisis_of_Obs KABUL, Mar 30 2026 (IPS) - It is almost unheard of for a student to deliberately fail final school exams for no apparent reason. Therefore, when 13-year old Sara (not her real name) from Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan took her school report home to her parents, they were shocked to learn that the top-performing student had failed her final exams and would not advance to the next level. But there was no longer a next level for Sara, even if she had passed. Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service.