The head of the National Examination Authority, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, emphasized the importance of contemporary education along with religious studies.

During the entrance exams for the master's and doctoral programs at the Afghan International Islamic University(AIIU) in Kabul, Abdul Baqi Haqqani said that Afghanistan will not achieve self-sufficiency without the presence of universities focused on modern sciences.

"If we possess the religious sciences but lack modern sciences, the goal of religious sciences—which is the free worship of a Muslim, self-sufficiency, and liberation from the dominance of non-muslims and from dependence—will not be fulfilled,” Abdul Baqi Haqqani said.

Abdul Baqi Haqqani said that due to the recent wars, Afghanistan has fallen behind in both religious and modern sciences, and now must take advantage of the current opportunity.

He also stated that the Islamic Emirate is striving to bring Afghanistan to a comparable position in the field of science to other countries around the world.

"We are striving to develop this country, move it out of dependency, and progress in tandem with other countries around the world," he said.

"We strive to employ teaching methods for you that are consistent with international standards and meet the demands of today's era," said Abdul Malik Niazi, the deputy of AIIU.

In this examination, eighty candidates participated, who are aim to compete in two faculties and three programs, out of which seventy who achieve high scores will be admitted to the university.

"If they offer discounts on our master's and doctoral programs and provide the promised discounts to government employees, that would be good," said Mohammad Moqim, a test taker.

Officials at the AIIU pledged that they will provide an educational environment that meets international standards and offers triple the value in services and beneficial programs for the students’ tuition fees.