International Higher Education, Spring 2004

Higher Education in Afghanistan

Fred M. Hayward and Sara Amiryar
Fred M. Hayward is a higher education specialist and consultant to the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and Sara Amiryar is associate director of affirmative action programs at Georgetown University and a consultant to AED. E-mail: hayward.fred@att.net and Amiryar@georgetown.edu.

In an effort to obtain a sense of public perceptions and attitudes about higher education in Afghanistan after 25 years of war, we conducted 14 focus groups in Herat, Kabul, Kapesa, and Kundoz provinces during June and July 2003, as part of a project conducted for the Ministry of Higher Education by the Academy for Educational Development funded by the International Development Agency. The focus groups included: high school and college students, parents, college and university instructors, school teachers, business people, and women professionals. They were led by an experienced facilitator in local languages.

In spite of the tremendous loss of life, widespread destruction, and years of war, most respondents were remarkably positive and hopeful. People were eager to rebuild their lives, expressed a sense of urgency about reconstructing higher education and a willingness to “make sacrifices” for it. Most of them believe that education is the key to success and without it the country will continue the cycle of violence and instability. A student in Kundoz said: “If education is not valued, encouraged, and enhanced the country will be again the center for terrorism and drug trafficking.” A teacher commented: “The need for education is greater than the need for food.”

Hope was tempered, however, by concerns over the challenges facing higher education, in particularly those Afghans who do not value higher education and some who militantly oppose it for women. Most participants felt that education was being hindered by both cultural and religious conservatism.

Major Problems
One of the most frequently cited problems was low quality. One respondent argued: “It is important to receive higher education—but quality education. If we compare today’s education [in Afghanistan] with the world, our quality of education is substantially lower.” Students were concerned that low quality would hinder their chances for employment and a better life.

Students and faculty attributed much of the poor educational quality to the war, lack of access to computers, destroyed or primitive libraries, the shortage of textbooks, inadequate instruction, and lack of access to the vast resources on the Internet. They stressed concerns about the lack of laboratory facilities, technical training, and practical experience for students at colleges and universities.

Funding concerns: The focus groups identified the cost of higher education as a major problem. Although higher education did not require payment of tuition or fees, there were costs associated with transportation, clothing, education material, as well as food and housing in many cases. Respondents believed that both government and the donor community gave higher education too little funding and did not regard it as a high priority. An 11th grade girl in Kapesa expressed her commitment to education: “This is the time for us to study and it will not come again. Roads can be built and electricity can be restored later—at any time.” We asked who should bear the major financial burdens of higher education, and most of the respondents believed the government should be responsible.

Given higher education’s financial problems, respondents were asked if they would be willing to contribute to the cost through fees or tuition if that was the only way to improve quality and access. While some participants stated that they would be willing to share the cost, the majority opposed paying fees or tuition, although many of these same people admitted that some fees were inevitable if students were to receive quality education. Indeed, in all but case, parents in the Kundoz focus group were sending one or more of their children to supplemental classes for which they paid fees.

Gender equality: The issue of gender equity and access is one of the most difficult problems confronting higher education. Respondents noted strong opposition to the education of girls and women in some places, and several men stated their personal opposition to education for women. Most high school and university students, faculty and staff, professionals, and many government officials showed strong support for gender equity and equal access to tertiary education. Many respondents were critical of what they regarded as the failure of government to address these problems. In spite of the fall of the Taliban, many of the restrictions against women remain in place. Women continue to be discriminated against and exploited. The evidence is overwhelming, not only in higher education, but in law, health care, employment, individual rights, and freedom. The most serious problems experienced by women include limited admission opportunities, lack of personal safety, and the unwillingness of families to send their daughters far from home. The safely problem is exacerbated by the lack of transportation and dormitories for women at most colleges and universities.

Training for teachers and faculty members: Most teachers and university faculty acknowledged and expressed concerns about their own deficiencies in training and expertise. They noted the lack of opportunities caused by decades of war and were eager for further education for their own growth and to improve the quality of education. As one teacher put it, “. . . we are thirsty for education. We seek out education everywhere.” A university lecturer in Herat noted the critical need for faculty development saying, “teachers’ knowledge is not up to standard. . . . Our students deserve a better education.”

Private education: Respondents had mixed views about private education providers. Some saw them as supplying useful services that government could not afford to provide such as computer training. It was thought that private businesses and private colleges and universities could create competition that would lead to improvement in public education. Some believed that private colleges and universities would provide up-to-date instruction and technology. On the other hand, many feared that opening the door to private colleges and universities would hurt public higher education and limit quality education to wealthy elites.

Conclusion
The findings from the focus groups in Afghanistan suggest that people are very well informed, in spite of limited communications and media access. Strong support for higher education overall was expressed, as well as near universal concern about the quality of education at all levels. Most were worried about the cost of education to students and their families. People saw the greatest challenges to higher education as the need to provide adequate funding and to establish security, peace, and stability. They had great faith in the value and the power of higher education but recognized the vulnerability of the system in the context of war.