Nation Building Through Higher Education System Resurgence in Afghanistan

Abstract

In Afghanistan, the foundation for the higher education system was built with the establishment of the foremost and oldest university (Kabul University), which enjoyed a period of excellence and prosperity until mid-1970s. Though, the system of higher education has been devastated by three decades of consecutive internal war, the ministry of higher education of Afghanistan continuously progresses toward rebuilding and advancing the system to meet the national and international quality standards. In Afghanistan, the higher education system is comprised of degree programs at bachelor, master, and PhD levels that are offered both by public and private higher education institutions. At present, the system is highly centralized at the ministry of higher education which is comprised of four main pillars including academic affairs, students’ affairs, finance and administrative, and the quality assurance and accreditation. Each pillar is then constituted with directorate, commissions, units, and subunits that govern and administer the entire affairs of the public universities while the private higher education institutions enjoy a degree of freedom in governing their financial and investment affairs. The new initiatives in terms of amendments in national law of higher education that leads to advancement in higher education, relevant regulations, national curriculum clustering strategy, establishment of research and publication directorate, and e-learning are the practical steps taken by the ministry of higher education toward standardization and globalization of the system.