| Kabul University | |
|---|---|
| (Pashto) دکابل پوهنتون Da Kābul Pohantūn (Persian) دانشگاه کابل Dāneshgāh-e Kābul |
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| Latin: 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.
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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]
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. 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.
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.
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.
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