- Kabul University
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Kabul University (Pashto) دکابل پوهنتون Da Kābul Pohantūn
(Persian) دانشگاه کابل Dāneshgāh-e KābulLatin: Universitas Cabylensis Motto Excellence in Service to Afghanistan Established 1932 Chancellor Hamidullah Amin Location Kabul, Afghanistan Colors Black, Red, and Green Website www.ku.edu.af Kabul University (KU) is located in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It was founded in 1931 but officially opened for classes in 1932. Kabul University is currently attended by approximately 7,000 students, of which 1,700 are women. As of 2008, Hamidullah Amin is the chancellor of the university. The university is still recovering from the long period of war and chaos in the country. The main building was renovated about 500 meters from the old one, which has almost the same design.
Kabul University consists of 14 faculties in fields of Agriculture, Economics, Pharmacy, Islamic Studies, Law, Language and Literature, Science, Computer Science, Engineering, Journalism, Veterinary medicine, Social Science, Psychology, Geoscience and Fine Arts.
Contents
Name
There is some debate on the name of the university. Officially, the university is known by the Pashto name Da Kābul Pohantūn (دکابل پوهنتون). Recently, it has been suggested to use three different official names in Pashto, Persian (دانشگاه کابل) and English (University of Kabul); most of all, because Persian-speaking students feel discriminated by the governmental ban[1][2] of the Persian word for university. This led to a clash between students and the police in November 2008, as mostly Persian-speaking students demanded to lift the ban on Persian words.
Previously, the Minister of Culture, Information, Tourism and Youth Affairs, Karim Khoram, had decided to ban the use of Persian expressions in government institutions and in state-controlled media,[2] and a young journalist for a state newspaper was fined for using the Persian word for university in a report.[1] A similar clash took place a few weeks earlier in the mostly Persian-speaking city of Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan.[3] As a result, that university's name was officially changed from Pashto (Pohantūn-e Balkh) to Persian (Dāneshgāh-e Balkh).[4][5]
History
Biology class at Kabul University during the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Kabul University was established in 1931 during the reign of Mohammed Nadir Shah and then Prime Minister Mohammad Hashim Khan, opening its doors one year later to students from across the country. Having benefited from partnerships with the governments of France, Germany, Russia, and the United States the university became one of the finest institutions of its kind in Asia, the intellectual heart of the country.[6]
In the 1960s foreign-educated scholars populated the campus, exposing the new generation to new topics such as communism, feminism and capitalism. Students influenced during this era included Ahmad Shah Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Dr. Faiz Ahmad, and Saydal Sokhandan.
Many different political groups were influenced in the University such as Khaliqis, Parchamis, Sholayees, Ikhwanis, and etc.
In a clash between Ikhwanis and Sholayees, a poet named Saydal Sokhandan was killed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the 1970s. Saydal was fired upon and shot by Gulbuddin during an argument.[7]
During the governance of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), Kabul University lost several lecturers and staff[citation needed]. The majority of the university's faculty left during the 10 year period of unrest or civil war that followed after the fall of the PDPA government in 1992.
Rebuilding
High school students taking admission test at Kabul University in 2010.After the removal of the Taliban government in late 2001, the international community focused on rebuilding all the educational institutions in Afghanistan. By January 2004, the campus had only 24 computers and one stethoscope. As part of its recovery program, Kabul University has established partnerships with four foreign universities, including Purdue University and the University of Arizona. It was reported in 2007 that Iran donated funds to Kabul University's dentistry faculty. It also donated 25,000 books to the university. The main library of Kabul University was built by the United States, which is the best-equipped library in Afghanistan. It is equipped with many computers, books and magazines. Nancy Dupree, wife of Louis Dupree, is the Director of the Afghanistan Center at the university.
In 2008, the campus of Kabul University was provided with the local network facilities by the Information Technology center of Kabul University (ITCK).[8] Currently each building is connected to the campus network and is provided with the internet connection from a fiber optic backbone. The Voice over IP (VoIP) technology was also part of the networking project and was successfully implemented.
Structure
- The Faculty of Law and Political Science, has two departments: Law and Management(Political Science).
- The Faculty of Computer Science, was previously a department of the faculty of science.
- The Faculty of Economic , has four Department 1.statistic department 2.financial department 3.business administration 4. national Economic departement
- The Faculty of Science, has four departments: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics .
- The Faculty of Engineering, has four departments: Architecture, Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering. An estimated 600 students are taking classes there.
- The Faculty of Pharmacy, has five departments: Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Biochemistry and Food Analysis. It has seven functioning laboratories and recently the new curriculum of this faculty has been approved and is being implemented. An estimated 400 students are taking classes there.
- The Faculty of Agriculture, has six departments: Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Animal Science, Forestry and Natural Resources, Horticulture, and Plant Protection.
- The Faculty of Veterinary Science, has five departments: Paraclinic, Preclinic, Clinic, Animal Husbandry, and Food Hygiene.
- The Faculty of Journalism, has two departments: Radio & Television and Printing Press.
- The Allama Iqbal Faculty of Arts, built at a cost of around $10 million by neighboring Pakistan was established in 2010. The building contains 28 classrooms, two seminar-halls, library, two computer labs, 20 faculty offices. it coveres an area of 143,379 square feet (13,320.3 m2), which would help the university in accommodating several faculties of social sciences. Afghan and Pakistani officials innaugurated the new building in July 2010.
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.[9] It served as the National Library of Afghanistan.
Notable lecturers and alumni
- Abdul Hashim Sahak (Professor)
- Baz Mohammad Sherzad (Professor)
- Abdul Qahar Samin (Professor)
- Ghulam Mohammad Bahram (Professor)
- Fazluddin Fazl (Professor)
- Wasef Bakhtari (Professor)
- Hamida Barmaki (Law Professor and Child Rights Commissioner)
- Mawlana Faizani (Philosopher and reformer)
- Nancy Dupree, expert on the History of Afghanistan
- Saeed Nafisi (Professor)
- Abdul Wahed Zia (Professor)
See also
References
- ^ a b "As problems pile up, Afghan lawmakers debate words". Reuters. 11 August 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/asiaCrisis/idUSISL208419.
- ^ a b Discussion over the use of the Persian language in Afghanistan; BBC - Persian
- ^ "Police attack university students in Balkh"
- ^ Sign at the entrance of Balkh University
- ^ Balkh University at "university-directory.eu"
- ^ "Tunes of hope at Kabul University". BBC News. 6 December 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1694972.stm.
- ^ www.maoism.ru - Glossary of Names and Terms mentioned in the Historical Overview
- ^ [1]
- ^ The Situation of Kabul University Library: Its Past and Present (Archived at WebCite
External links
Coordinates: 34°31′4″N 69°7′41″E / 34.51778°N 69.12806°E
Universities in Afghanistan Public Al-Beroni University • Badakhshan University • Baghlan University • Balkh University • Bamiyan University • Bost University • Ghazni University • Hara University • Herat University • Kabul Institute of Medicine • Kabul University • Kandahar University • Kapisa University • Khost University • Konduz University • Nangarhar University • National Military Academy of Afghanistan • Paktia University • Parwan University • Polytechnical University of Kabul • Takhar University • University of Pedagogy •
Private American University of Afghanistan • Bakhtar University • Dawat University • Hara University • Kaboora Institute of Higher Education • Kardan University • Karwan University • Khurasan University • Rana Institute of Higher Education • Spinghar Higher Education Centre •
Categories:- Kabul University
- Universities in Afghanistan
- Education in Kabul
- Educational institutions established in 1932
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