Kabul University

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Kabul University is located in Kabul, Afghanistan and was founded 1931, opened 1932 and formally established in 1947. It is attended by 7,000 students, of which 1,700 are women. The school is still recovering from the civil war and Taliban rule. The main building was rebuilt about 500 meters from the old one, at 34°31′4.42″N, 69°7′40.69″E, and it has almost the same design.

Thousands of students are studying in fields like; Agriculture, Economics,Pharmacy, Law, Literature, Science, Engineering, and fine Arts.

[edit] Rebuilding

It is estimated that the university will need US$64 million to function again on a basic level. In January 2004, the campus boasted only 24 computers and one stethoscope. As part of its recovery program, Kabul University has established partnerships with four foreign universities, including Purdue.

During the Communist regime, the University lost several professors, doctors and higher educational personalities. The majority of the University's faculty left during the period of unrest following the fall of the communist regime, civil war, and Taliban regime never to return back. The university is in urgent need of professors, for many of the current professors themselves only have Bachelors degrees from Kabul University.

[edit] History

During the reign of the Taliban, faculty members earned only US$40 a month. But today they earn $45 to $50 a month.

In the 1960s foreign-educated scholars populated the campus, exposing the new Afghan generation to new topics such as communism, feminism and capitalism. Students influenced during this era include Ahmed Shah Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Dr. Faiz Ahmad, and Saydal Sokhandan.

Many different political groups were influenced in the University such as Khaliqis, Parchamis, Sholayees, Ikhwanies etc.

In a class between Ikhwanies and Sholayees, an Afghan poet, called Saydal Sokhandan was killed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. He fired on him during a discussion.

[edit] Structure

The faculty of science in Kabul University has five departments: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science.

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 in Kabul University 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.