Kabul University

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Kabul University


Established	1932
Students	7,000
Location	Kabul, Afghanistan
Website	www.ku.edu.af

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.

1 History
2 Rebuilding
3 Structure
4 Notable lecturers and alumni
5 Notes

[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.

In the 1950s and 60s the university was one of the finest institutions of its kind in Asia, the intellectual heart of the country and the pride of Afghanistan.^[1]

[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 lecturers and staffs. 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.

In 2007, Iran donated USD 800,000 to Kabul University's dentistry faculty. Iran has also donated 25,000 books to Kabul University.^[2] At present, the main library of Kabul University is the best-equipped library in Afghanistan.^[3] The library is equipped with many computers, books and magazines mostly donated by Iran.^[4]

[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.