Sub-regional Conference of South, South-West and Central

Asia on Higher Education, 25-26 February, 2009, New Delhi

BY: professor Quadir Amiryar

Sr. Advisor, Ministry of Higher Education

Afghanistan: Report on Higher Education

1- Introduction

More than 30 years of civil war, forced displacement, immigration, millions of

Afghans taking refuge in the neighboring countries and living in the refugee
camps with two generations born and brought-up in the refugees comps, have
left its impact on almost every aspects of Afghan life including education and
higher education. In the process, many youth barely could afford to go to schools
or universities and a majority could not even complete their primary or
secondary education. Therefore the basic strategy of the government is to lay the
foundation for the promotion of literacy, expansion in primary and the
secondary education and then bring in the graduates of the high schools to the
colleges and universities. Our endeavor is to generate confidence in our
institutions of higher education so that the community should feel safe and
secured to reap the benefit from.
Education is vital to human development in any country and higher education is
essential to the national development in every aspect of social, economic, and
political life including productivity and the quality of products, tangible or
intangible. As part of the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS), the
Government of Afghanistan, in full cooperation and support from friendly
countries, International Organizations, and the NGOs has embarked-upon an
ambitious program in the Higher Education sector to provide easy, free and
affordable access to Higher Education for the interested citizens who are
qualified to benefit.

2-Overview of Higher Education system:

There are over six million children enrolled at the primary and secondary levels
in schools, whereas there are just 55,998 students enrolled in different
institutions of Higher Education in the country out of which there are only 9,926
female students. This statistics shows how abysmally poor is the existing capacity
in the country for the students seeking Higher Education. There are 22 public
and 15 private Institutions of Higher Education) in Afghanistan such as
engineering, Polytechnic, Medical, law, management and others.
In order to bring a balance between the demand and supply, and provide
additional access, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) is using every
available options to meet the current need of the community and intends to
reach-out as much as possible to every corner of the country to provide easy
access to Higher Education to the community.

Regarding access, not only new universities have been established but existing
infrastructure in colleges and universities are being improved and expanded.
Initiatives on the establishment and development of private institutions of higher
education were strongly encouraged. Afghan entrepreneurs response to the
government policies was very positive. In fact in the past three years twelve
private institutions of higher education have been established by the private
citizens and interested parties from international community. A majority of
applicants for the establishment of private institutions have already received
their licenses and are functioning. Certainly with this degree of interest and pace
in the development of private institutions of higher education, the Government is
facing critical task of monitoring the quality of academic standards, proper
management and governance, availability of qualified instructors, and structure
of the fees to be paid by the students.
Furthermore it is essential to the development of a proper system of higher
education to establish a system or mechanism of quality assurance that
eventually could serve as an independent accreditation agency at the national
level. We expect that this agency will be in charge of defining the parameters for
an academic accreditation process, policies and procedures in reference to the
recruitment, promotion, faculty development and other efforts such as quality
improvement and entrance examinations. In addition it is understood that this
agencys functions and decisions shall be consistent with the Afghan cultural
values, accreditation requirements and international standards. Although the
stage is set for these initiatives, yet there are many gaps to plug in the Higher
Education sector.
In the absence of an independent accreditation commission for the interim the
Ministry of Higher Education(MoHE) has decided to form a committee consisted
of group of seven experts to handle most aspects of private institutions, starting
from application to licensing and up to monitoring with only a few exception.
In order to enhance the capacity to provide access for citizens the Ministry has
encouraged promotion of cooperative programs relating to the partnership and
technical exchanges between Afghan and international institutions. As the result
of these policies in the past two years we were able to establish academic
affiliations with 11 foreign universities and several national institutions of higher
education in Kabul. Similarly, new teaching facilities have been set-up in
Vocational Education, both in the public and private sector. The next phase is to
improve the quality of existing vocational education and the training facilities,
both in public and private sectors corresponding to the communities need in
those fields.
The Strategic Plan of the MoHE is basically focuses on easy access to Higher
Education, increase in enrollment and retention rates, reform in curriculum,
entrance exams, governance, faculty development, reduction of gender
disparities, introduction of credit system, partnership between private & public
institutions, regulatory acts and etc. Demand for higher education is about four
times more than the available facilities.

Key Strategy of MoHE includes:

1. Establishment of the National Commission for the Entrance Examination.

2. Establishment of National Independent Commission for accreditation.
3. Curriculum reforms and new Educational Programs based on the national
survey.
4. Development, implementation and promotion of Credit System.
5. Professional development programs for faculty.
6. Establishment of English Language Centre.
7. Preparation of text books, publications and translation of scientific works
and articles.
8. An independent organ responsible for the Accreditation

Nature of the system:

The Higher Education system in Afghanistan revolves around Universities, as

there is very limited number of technical institutions in the country. Admission
to the University or technical institutions like Engineering or Medical Science is
through an Entrance examination as there are limited number of seats and
scholarships for the students. Most of these universities, in fact are limited to a
four- year college that offers BA and BS degrees except for the medical colleges.
Similarly, the courses that offered by these universities mostly are limited to
traditional subjects such as humanities, law, Science, engineering, architecture,
medicine and few other disciplines. As the result of this the number of available
seats in the universities is limited to those subjects and courses that are offered.
Many students seeking higher studies in other field do not find opportunity to
pursue their career in the field of their choice. Besides this, the quality and
quantity of the exiting faculties, teachers, facilities, infrastructure, libraries and
laboratories are inadequate. In the meantime lack for transparency in hiring and
employment discourage many Afghan youth to invest four years of their life in
higher studies. Therefore, it is imperative to build good infrastructure facilities
for the students as well as for the faculties in order to provide greater access to
higher education for the youth. Similarly several acts have been initiated by the
Government, to improve the Vocational Education in the country so that we
should be able to develop semi-skilled and skilled workforce, who can
substantially contribute to the development of economy.

Gender issues:

Afghanistan is an Islamic State, managing gender equity and design of

policies concerning this issue is sensitive. This is one of the factors
behind the slim representation of women in Higher Education. Besides
this, there are very limited hostel/boarding facilities for girls in the
universities except in Kabul. World has changed a lot where women,
even in the Islamic countries, have come forward and have taken to
professions which were earlier not accessible for them. The whole world
realizes the fact that women play a very constructive role in society.
Access of quality higher education to women in every field of
humanities, science, engineering, medicine, management, teaching and
etc, is of critical importance in order to develop their latent potential.
Therefore, the Government strategy is now to mainstream women in the
higher education sector by providing them with special incentives in the
form of quotas, scholarships and additional seats in the Universities.
MoHE has further improved its policies and incentives by introducing
culturally, female-oriented subjects such as Home Science, home
economics, Child Psychology, Hospital Administration, Disaster
Management & Environmental Science and etc. Also, emphasis on
vocational education to help women acquire new skills is very much part
of the Government strategy.
3-Governance:

The MoHE has initiated a series of measures to improve governance in the

institutions of Higher Education, such as re-organization with streamlining of the
university administration, introduction of transparency and accountability at
various levels, entrance exams, curriculum reforms, public-private partnership,
quality assurance in the recruitment of faculties, issuing degrees and diploma,
introduction of the credit system, accreditation, institutional reforms and
capacity-building in the Ministry and Universities. The New Government policy
encourages substantial and effective role to private sector, particularly in areas
of infrastructure development, and introduction of new technologies, in order to
improve teaching methodology and thereby improve the standards of education.
Also in Afghanistan, as the case is with the developed countries, the Multi-
National Companies (MNCs) and NGOs can be invited to participate in various
scholarship programs for the talented youth, seeking higher education in some
field. The university co-operation plans, that have already commenced, will allow
universities in the country to interact and be supported by the recognized foreign
universities. In this way, the universities in the country will develop the capacity
to act independently and interact with the private sector. Public-private
partnership is the felt-need of this country in the Higher Education sector. Under
the new strategy, the approach of the Ministry is to do away with the control and
regulations and thereby to encourage private sector to deliver quality services
and to fill the gaps that cannot be filled alone by the public sector.

Regulation Licensing Quality assurance:

Policies & Legal Framework:

Article 17 of the Constitution of Afghanistan provides that `adopt necessary

measures for promotion of education in all levels.

Article 43 provides that `Education is the right of all citizens. The State must
devise and implement effective programs for a balanced expansion all over
Afghanistan, provide compulsory education.
Article 44 provides that ` the State must also `devise effective programs for
balancing and promoting education improving of education of the nomads and
elimination of illiteracy in the country.

Article 45 provides that ` the State shall devise and implement a unified
educational curriculum based on the tenets of the sacred religion of Islam,
national culture as well as academic principles, and develop religious subjects
curricula for schools on the basis of existing Islamic sects in Afghanistan.
Article 46 provides that `Establishing and administering higher, general and
specialized educational institutions shall be the duty of the State. The citizens of
Afghanistan shall establish higher, general and specialized educational as well as
literacy institutions with permission of the State.

Initiatives for quality improvement

In the long run the key to the quality enhancement in higher education, in the
long run is with the individual institutions. It is the faculty, academic councils,
administrators that produce quality, or lack of it. In the second phase of Strategy
i.e. from 2008 to 2011, there is tremendous focus on the Quality enhancement
which include Faculty and Staff development, Curriculum review and reform,
Facility development, System reform and Management improvement by way of
increasing institutional accountability and autonomy, access/diversification,
encouragement of private education, Distance education, building up the
capacity of the existing public institutions and improved financing. Under the
Quality Assurance program the effort is to develop and set realistic standards in
education, training and administration of academic research and publication,
develop programs, workshops, seminars and other measures to improve and
enhance practical skills in science and technology to the benefit of the least
fortunate members of the society in the region and beyond, such as improvement
in food production, clean water, energy, literacy, and other elements that could
be a source of hope to the future generations and autonomy to universities, for
better governance.

As a part of sector strategy, the universities will operate independently with the
MoHE role largely be confined to acting as a source of funds for the universities.
The University system will be expanded and students will have a much greater
choice in the type of course they can undertake in the universities. There will be a
mix of foreign and local staff in the universities and the local staff will have
opportunities to work in foreign universities as the co-operative system between
the universities is expanded. Funding for research in the universities will be
increased using a system of research grants provided to the universities by the
MoHE. There will be merit-based scholarships examinations for males and
females for those who wish to study in foreign universities. In its efforts to
improve the quality of Higher Education, most funds available to the MoHE for
infrastructure will be used to refurbish the existing university campuses and
carry-out the construction of buildings for libraries and laboratories in the
existing universities. Further, it will also be an important part of the strategy to
review university funding so that they should have greater
autonomy. Introduction of credit system, accreditation, development of the
capacity of faculty members, merit-based scholarship programs, foreign
exchange programs for students, international affiliation for Afghan universities
with the internationally known universities, for example the Federal Republic of
Germany, Turkey, India, and the United States.

Our Vision is to provide access of quality education for the citizens regardless of
gender, creed, ethnicity, socio-economic status or religious affiliations, to develop
their potential, build knowledge base, skills, values and attitudes for a better
future. As part of the Government strategy this visions can be achieved through
the following actions:

1. Expansion in the quantity of educational services provided supply

meets demand.
2. Improvement in the quality and relevance of educational services;
and
3. Equality and equity of access to education irrespective of gender,
class, creed or ethnicity. This also means providing access to
relevant education in the form of remedial and vocational training to
many Afghans who have been excluded from the educational system.

5. Emerging Issues and Challenges:

1. Capacity-building and reforms.

2. Issue of infrastructure.
3. Security of the teaching and learning Environment.
4. Enrolment versus limitation of resources.
5. To find qualified faculties.
 6. Limited courses to offer.
7. Poor capacity in the universities.
8. Limited access due to poverty and geographical limitations.
9. Cultural influence which challenge e promotion of female education.
10. Need for enhancement of transparency in the system.
11. Promotion of accountability.
12. Search for Funds/Grants.
13. Need for coherent and focused policies.
14. Reassess education priorities in light of national demands.
15. How to minimize Nepotism and Corruption.
16. Poor maintenance of records.

6-Financing of Higher education, Public funding for HE and Fee policies:

The Government policy encourages an important and effective role for private
sector in the Higher education, particularly in the areas of infrastructure
development, introduction of new technologies, to improve pedagogy and thereby
improve the standard of education in the universities and technical institutions.
We need to integrate our policies regarding the resources and policies for
capacity building in private, public, international, municipal. NGOs and
voluntary contributors. The university co-operation plans that have already
began will allow the institutions of higher education in the country to interact
and be supported by the recognized foreign universities. Public-private
partnership is the best opportunity for both sectors to share their ideas and
resources and eventually to the benefit of all. Based on the new strategies of the
Ministry we should gradually reduce government control and regulations of
higher education. Also to encourage private sector to deliver quality services and
to fill the gaps that cannot be provided by the public sector. Priority of the
MoHE is to increase the enrolment, improve access and to ensure quality Higher
Education. Besides this, there is an agreement between the managers and
educators in Afghanistan for the greater autonomy to the Institutions of Higher
Education and to move to position Vocational Educational on a more sustainable
foundation that can better contribute to emerging demands for this form of
training.
7- Reform in Higher Education Policies/ Institutions
As a part of strategic planning, the MoHE has embarked upon two phase to give
boost to reforms with a view to achieving its Mission as enshrined in its 5-year
strategic plan. The first phase implemented in 2005 continued to 2007, focused
on Quality Enhancement which included Capacity-building of the institutions
under the MoHE, Faculty and Staff development, Curriculum reforms, Facility
development, Quality Assurance, System reforms through increased autonomy,
access to Higher Education, encouragement to private higher education,
exploration for Finance In the second phase of the Strategic Plan, which has been
under the implementation phase since 2008 focuses on further stress on Quality
enhancement in the areas of Faculty and Staff development, Curriculum review
and reform, Facility development, Quality assurance, System reforms and
Management improvement, Access to Education and Diversification, increase the
capacity of the existing infrastructure of public institutions, to encourage and
improve the role of private education, Distance education and explore additional
financing mechanism etc.
8-Conclusion:
Higher Education in Afghanistan is passing through an unusual phase of
transition and, therefore it requires significant attention from international
communities. Three decades of civil war has taken a heavy toll on the general life
of Afghans. Higher Education sector has particularly suffered the most.
Substantial population of youths has lost their studies midway. Lack of
educational infrastructure, under-qualified faculties, poor enrolment of students
in the universities, deep psychological scar in the minds of people, lack of
openness, employment opportunities, poverty, poor security environment etc, are
some of the grey areas where require systematic interventions of the
Government with the support from international community. The MoHE strategic
paper is thus a road-map to achieve the Vision, Mission and Goals of the
Government in the Higher Education sector, which will help in the socio-
economic and political growth of the country.
The recent establishment of South Asian University (SAU) in Delhi is one such
great effort of the SAARC, to promote cross-border education, which would
fulfill the long-cherished dreams of many Afghan students to study in India. It
will not only attract the boys but also the girl students, which, in turn, will
considerably improve the status of women in the Afghan society and who can
contribute significantly in the socio-economic-political development of the
country. All such efforts of the Government are bound to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals (MDG) as set-out for the Education sector and will bring the
quality Higher Education in Afghanistan on the World Radar of Education.