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Advancing Higher Education in Afghanistan
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Advancing Higher Education in Afghanistan
February 28, 2021
By Roohullah Rahimi – Chief Strategy Officer at Kardan University
Launching the Center for Higher Education Development at Kardan University
Higher Education in Afghanistan has witnessed incredible growth over the past 20 years. An estimated 350,000 to 400,000 Afghans are currently studying a variety of programs in public and private institutions of higher education. While to some degree, access and quality of higher education services have improved progressively; the dramatic development leap in higher education has not materialized in the country. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), gross enrollment in higher education in Afghanistan stands at a dismal of below 15%. More importantly, quality-related issues plague the vast majority of higher education institutions, which is further exacerbated by a deficient regulatory apparatus.
IN ORDER TO IMPROVE HIGHER EDUCATION STANDARDS IN THE COUNTRY, IMPORTANT SYSTEMIC REFORMS ARE NEEDED. THESE REFORMS NEED CHAMPIONS AND ADVOCATES FROM THE STAKEHOLDER COMMUNITY THAT COMPRISES THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR.
To enable a pathway towards systemic reform of higher education, it begins with reforming the higher education law towards a progressive and responsive higher education sector where public universities are let loose from the shackles of the Ministry of Higher Education, and private universities are regulated to be the engine of growth and innovation. A fundamental reimagination of higher education in Afghanistan is needed to align quality and standard parameters with global norms, ensure robust regulatory performance, and improve service delivery to students.
To contribute to higher education sector development, Kardan University is launching a Center for Higher Education Development (CHED), which harnesses Kardan University’s resources, knowledge, and networks to advance higher education developmental priorities in Afghanistan. Through research activities, innovation programming, and expertise focused on higher education reform and development, CHED will be a catalyst for advancing critical higher education development priorities through locally driven solutions.
600+ Kardan students with international scholarships from Fulbright, Chevening and DAAD.
In order to improve higher education standards in the country, important systemic reforms are needed. These reforms need champions and advocates from the stakeholder community that comprises the higher education sector. The Center for Higher Education Development at Kardan University will serve as a champion and advocate for higher education reform and advancement in Afghanistan.
As a knowledge-based platform, CHED will serve the regulator, universities, industry, and students through activities and interventions to bring about the fundamental reimagination of higher education in the country. Investing in CHED is an attempt to better leverage in Kardan University’s development sector. Efforts to achieve higher impact and enable Kardan to contribute more substantially to higher education reform and development in Afghanistan.
To enable and advance a progressive development agenda in the higher education sector that advances students’ interest above entrenched bureaucracies, CHED will roll out highly imaginative and market-led sustainable approaches to achieve a higher development impact.