Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education is reporting that more than 60,000 students will attend public universities as the academic year begins. This represents an increase of some 50 per cent over the 40,000 students who attended public universities last year.
“The Ministry of Higher education is committed to improv[ing] quality of education and enrol[ling] as many graduates in universities as possible,” said Masoud Turishtwal, an official in the ministry. He also expressed hope that the private sector would adjust to increased public enrolments: “The private sector shall improve their teaching methodology in order to impart high quality education.” An estimated 34,000 students are expected to enroll in private universities this spring.
But even as more students are now attending universities, Afghanistan still has among the lowest enrollment rates in the world, with a gross enrollment of only 4 per cent, per the World Bank. The problem has drawn some attention: the World Bank currently has in place the Strengthening Higher Education Project (SHEP), building capacity among and advocating reform for Afghanistan’s tertiary education system. The United States recently committed $200 million to promote literacy programs throughout the country. Though it will take some time to see the effects of these programs—especially reflected in tertiary school enrollments—as the country’s infrastructure continues to develop and other countries continue to pledge aid and develop programs, there is hope that these numbers will continue to rise.
Creative Commons Love: DFID – UK Department for International Development on Flickr.com
Written by Alex Leedom