Kabul University

Kabul University (KU; د کابل پوهنتون/ دانشگاه کابل) is one of the major and oldest institutions of higher education in Afghanistan. It is in the 3rd District of the capital Kabul near the Ministry of Higher Education. It was founded in 1931 by King Mohammed Nadir Shah, whose prime minister at the time was his younger brother, Sardar Mohammad Hashim Khan. Approximately 22,000 students attend Kabul University. In August 2021, before the Taliban takeover, nearly half were female.

History

Early history

Kabul University was established in 1932 during the reign of King Mohammed Nadir Shah and during the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Hashim Khan, opening its doors one year later to students from across the country. It benefitted from partnerships with the governments of Turkey, France, Germany, and the United States.

The first Faculty of Medicine in Kabul was established by a group of Turkish professors of Medicine and Surgery led by Kamil Rıfkı Urga in 1932 in the region of Aliabad. The first teaching-university hospital, the Aliabad Hospital, was also built here on the campus under the guidance and supervision of Turkish architects and teaching physicians. In 1936, the Faculty of Law & Political Sciences on the same campus was established by Turkish Mehmed Ali Dağpınar. The Faculty of Law started to enroll students of law.

The first attending Turkish professors of medicine and surgery who had gone to Afghanistan under an official agreement between the governments of Afghanistan and the Turkish Republic served at Kabul University between 1932 and 1952. The first president (rector) of Kabul University and dean of the Faculty of Medicine was a Turkish surgeon and anatomist, Urga, who taught medicine and surgery for a period of 17 years with 15 other Turkish physicians. Later on, some additional teaching staff, including French professor Pierre Bolange, attended as the dean of the Faculty of Medicine after the previous Turkish dean, Zuhtu Bey, left Kabul for Ankara in 1952. The first nine graduates of the Faculty of Medicine played significant roles in Afghanistan's university community reforms; two of them were Muhammad Yusuf (the prime minister) and Fattah Najeem.

Initially, the university accepted only male students, but in 1950, it was opened to women as well.

In the 1960s, foreign-educated scholars populated the campus. Notable students influenced during this era included Ahmad Shah Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Dr. Faiz Ahmad, and Saydal Sokhandan. Many different political groups were influenced by the university, such as Khalqists, Parchamites, Sholayees, and Ikhwanists. In a clash between Ikhwanis and Sholayees, a poet named Saydal Sokhandan was killed by Hekmatyar in June 1972. Saydal was fired upon and shot by Gulbuddin during an argument.

During the governance of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), Kabul University lost several lecturers and staff. The majority of the university's faculty left during the ten-year period of unrest or civil war that followed the fall of the PDPA government in 1992. The area around the university and Karte Char was a major battleground in the Afghan Civil War (1992–1996).

Allegations of discrimination and restrictions (since 2021)

Following the return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, Kabul University has been the subject of multiple reports concerning restrictions on academic freedom and allegations of discriminatory practices affecting students and faculty.

According to student accounts and media reports, university authorities introduced a compulsory pledge requiring adherence to specified interpretations of Islamic law and behavioral codes (Sharia law). Reported provisions include observance of religious practices, prescribed dress codes, and restrictions on activities such as listening to music, photography, and unsupervised movement on campus. The pledge also requires students to affirm obedience to governing authorities and prohibits contact with political organizations.

Concerns have also been raised regarding provisions related to religious identity. Some reports indicate that the pledge requires adherence to Sunni Islam, particularly the Hanafi school, and may discourage or exclude other Islamic sects. Students identifying with Shia or other minority traditions have stated that such measures limit religious expression within the university. These developments have been linked by observers to broader policies under the Taliban, which, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, have included restrictions on religious plurality and the marginalization of non-Sunni communities in Afghanistan

Changes to academic curricula have also been reported, including the removal or revision of material in disciplines such as social sciences, philosophy, political studies, and the arts.

Policies affecting women's access to education have had a significant impact on the university. Restrictions introduced by Taliban authorities have led to the suspension of women's access to higher education nationwide, preventing female students from attending the university.

University officials affiliated with the Taliban administration, including Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat, have defended these measures as necessary to align education with Islamic principles and national values.

Structure

The Faculty of Environment Science has three departments: Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Natural Resources and Management and Department of Natural Disaster Management.

The Faculty of Law and Political Sciences has four departments: Department of Public Law, Department of Criminal Law, Department of Private Law and Department of International Relations.

The Faculty of Computer Science has four departments: Software Engineering Department, Computer Science Department, Information Technology Department and Information System Department.

The Faculty of Economics has two shifts students (day and night), five active departments, three future planned departments. The day shifts' departments are: Finance Department, Enterprise Management Department, Econometric and Statistic Department, National Economies Department, Management Information Systems Department, Counting Department (Future Plan), Money and Banking Department (Future Plan) and Economic Development Department (Future Plan). The night shifts' departments are: Finance Department, Enterprise Management Department and National Economics Department.

The Faculty of Science has four departments: Department of Biology, Department of Mathematics, Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics.

The Faculty of Engineering has six departments: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Department of Architectural Engineering, Department of Energy Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering and Department of Urban Planning and Design. The Faculty offers a master program in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

The Faculty of Pharmacy has five departments: Department of Pharmacology-Toxicology, Department of Pharmaceutics, Department of Pharmacognosy, Department of Microbiology and Department of Biochemistry-Nutrition. It has eight laboratories. An estimated 400 students are taking classes there.

The Faculty of Agriculture has eight departments: Agronomy Department, Economics and Agricultural Extension Department, Forestry & Natural Resources Department, Department of Biotechnology and Seed Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Department of Soil Science and Irrigation, Horticulture Department, and Plant Protection Department.

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has five departments: Department of Animal Production, Department of Para Clinic, Department of Clinic, Department of Preclinical, and Department of Food Hygiene and Technology.

The Faculty of Journalism has two departments: Radio &TV Department and Press Department.

National Centre for Policy Research

The National Centre for Policy Research was established at Kabul University by the Ministry of Higher Education and Konrad Adenauer Foundation in 2003, and includes faculty in the departments of Law and Politics, Economics, and Social Science.

Library

In 1992, the library held 200,000 books, 5,000 manuscripts, 3,000 rare books, periodicals, photographs, and calligraphic specimens. Following a civil war, most materials were sold in book markets, burnt, destroyed, or lost. It served as the National Library of Afghanistan.

Notable alumni

Notable graduates and former faculty of Kabul University include:

• Former Dean of Islamic law at Kabul University Gholam Mohammad Niazi
• Former Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Yusuf
• Former Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal
• Former Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Musa Shafiq
• Former Afghan Marxist head of state Hafizullah Amin
• Former head of KAM Assadullah Amin
• Editor-in-Chief of national newspaper (1970s) Hafiz Sahar
• Afghan politician Tahir Badakhshi
• Afghan ambassador to Austria and former Afghan ambassador to Nordic countries Manizha Bakhtari
• Afghan poet Wasef Bakhtari
• Afghan activist Hamida Barmaki
• American archaeologist Nancy Dupree
• Former President of Afghanistan Babrak Karmal
• Former President of Afghanistan Mohammad Najibullah

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)