KABUL (SW) – The de-facto Ministry of Higher Education has announced significant achievements on Sunday, during the annual performance review press conference held in Kabul, highlighting a range of developments over the past year.
According to officials, 131 curricula have been reviewed and updated, including 89 at the bachelor’s level, 35 at the master’s level, and 7 at the doctoral level. These updated curricula have been sent for approval to the relevant institutions.
In the past year, 11 new doctoral programs and 26 new master’s programs have been launched. Additionally, 13 new faculties have been established in public universities.
To enhance the educational sector in Afghanistan, the ministry has recruited 640 academic staff through open competition and employed 1,317 administrative, professional, and specialized staff members, officials added.
Officials also reported that 2,212 Afghan students who had studied abroad have returned to Afghanistan, and their degrees have been evaluated.
According to the ministry’s statistics, 51,950 students graduated from universities last year, and currently, 189,991 students are enrolled in higher education institutions.
Further achievements include signing cooperation agreements with various sectoral ministries to facilitate higher education opportunities for students, integrating graduates into government positions, and improving the ministry’s staff capacity.
However, the issue of women’s education remains unresolved.
Ongoing debate over women’s access to education
While the Ministry of Higher Education reports on its achievements over the past year, it remains clear that the ministry has yet to respond to repeated calls for reopening universities to female students.
Officials from the ministry acknowledge that there is currently “no clear decision or timeline” for allowing women to resume their studies in the country.
Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the acting Minister of Higher Education, commented on the matter: “This is a very sensitive issue with many dimensions. An urgent decision cannot be made at this time, and we cannot specify when exactly women will be allowed to resume their studies. The investigation by scholars is ongoing.”
