Obaidullah Baheer is a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan
October 01, 2021
The story of Akbar, a student of mine at a private university in Kabul, epitomises young Afghans’ defiance of the odds when it comes to their education. He used to be a part-time farmer. He eventually found a job as a government employee to pay for an undergraduate education. Now, he is one semester short of completing a postgraduate degree in international relations. But he is also unemployed, and can barely afford to take part in the classes he is attending online.
He is in a holding pattern. Students have to pay their school fees before taking exams, but most cannot afford to do so. Rather than carrying out any new instruction, which costs more money, his university is conducting revision classes to bide the time until the situation improves and exams can be held. Even if students have enough money saved to pay the upcoming fees, in order for them to do so, Afghanistan’s banking system must resume. If that takes too long, many students will lose any momentum they have left.
If young people like Akbar are made to give up when they’re so close, Afghanistan will have very little hope of a sustainable future.
Universities in Afghanistan are faced with unprecedented challenges. Some have laid off more than 50 per cent of their administration staff. Less than a quarter of students are attending classes. Most lecturers and students are currently in camps trying to find their way to a better and safer life. They cannot be blamed for trying to escape the persecution that faces many of them despite the general amnesty promised by the Taliban.
The students who remain have no access to their savings, as the banks are out of cash and customers have to wait an average of six hours in order to withdraw only $200 a week. Most students who were employed by the government, international organisations or foreign embassies have lost those jobs. Keeping such circumstances in mind, it is crucial that those now in charge address these issues before it is too late.
The Taliban leadership seem to be too consumed by their efforts to consolidate power and restructure their organisation to adjust to its new role of governance. The caretaker cabinet announced seems to be under-qualified to address the major issues facing the country. Though the difficult task of accommodating students’ circumstances in the current turmoil should have been managed by the Afghan Ministry of Education, they seem to be busy reforming universities to align with their cultural code. In the absence of active government policies, Afghan and international academia will have to step up and manage the crisis.
Many Afghan university staff have fled the country. Professor Zainab Momeny has now received asylum in Chile. Reuters
The Taliban leadership seem to be too consumed by their efforts to consolidate power
The economic limitations, brain drain and bleak hopes for the future call for innovative solutions. There are two measures that the Afghan and international academic community can take. First, to address the financial crisis, universities should readjust tuition fees to accommodate students who still have jobs and can afford to pay for their education, but are stretched thin.
University lecturers, of which I am one, can also volunteer for a pay cut to enable universities to sustain themselves. The international community could also offer scholarship programmes for students within Afghanistan to continue their education abroad.
Second, to address the absence of academics in the country, universities have to work towards reabsorbing faculty who have sought asylum abroad to continue to teach students through online channels. The international community could help pay the salaries of these lecturers to sustain their livelihoods and give them a sense of purpose, but also to ensure that their knowledge remains available to students within Afghanistan.
The goal has to be to keep the ball rolling.
Realising any of this requires cohesion among efforts inside and outside Afghanistan. One way to facilitate this would be for a universally credible intergovernmental body focused on education, such as Unesco, to lead the way. The platform to generate funding as well as planning for the higher education sector of Afghanistan needs, at this particular moment, to be internationalised.
The international community may have reservations in dealing directly with the Taliban. But there are plenty of avenues through which they can establish channels to communicate and coordinate efforts directly with Afghan universities. The most important thing is to get funds to these institutions to enable them to retain their academics, sustain their operations and provide fee waivers for needy students. The last measure is vital if the international community hopes to keep female students enrolled, as their prospects of employment in Afghanistan appear unpromising right now.
Either the Taliban government will realise its limitations, or its failure to govern will cause an internal collapse. In both circumstances, the state would need its educated youth to help Afghanistan through a difficult transition. We must not let the cycle of higher education stop in the country. It would take decades to make up for what could be lost in the coming days. A failed Afghan state with an uneducated population would not only be a burden on itself but would have drastic spill-over effects elsewhere. Educated Afghans are the key to any viable future Afghanistan can have.
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Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
Company Profile
Name: Thndr Started: 2019 Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr Sector: FinTech Headquarters: Egypt UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi Current number of staff: More than 150 Funds raised: $22 million
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
COMPANY PROFILE
Name:Airev
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
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A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024. It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine. Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages]. The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts. With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians. Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved. Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world. The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
Red flags
Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
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The trip Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
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600-seat auditorium
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Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
GroupA: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.
Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.
The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.
