Kabul University facts for kids

Kabul University (also known as KU) is one of the most important and oldest universities in Afghanistan. It is located in the capital city of Kabul. The university was started in 1931 by King Mohammed Nadir Shah.

Around 22,000 students attend Kabul University. Before August 2021, almost half of the students were girls and women. The university reopened in February 2022. Now, classes are separated by gender.

History of Kabul University

How it Started

Kabul University officially opened in 1932. It welcomed students from all over Afghanistan. The university received help from countries like Turkey, France, Germany, and the United States.

The first part of the university was the Faculty of Medicine. It was started in 1932 by Turkish professors. They also built the first teaching hospital, called the Aliabad Hospital. Later, in 1936, the Faculty of Law & Political Sciences was added. These two faculties helped create the Kabul University we know today.

Turkish professors taught at Kabul University from 1932 to 1952. The first president of the university was a Turkish surgeon, Prof. Dr. Urga. He and 15 other Turkish doctors taught for 17 years. The first students to graduate from the Faculty of Medicine became important leaders in Afghanistan.

At first, only male students could attend the university. But from 1950 onwards, women were also allowed to study there.

Changes Over Time

In the 1960s, many scholars who had studied abroad came to teach at Kabul University. They introduced new ideas like communism and feminism. Many students were influenced by these new ways of thinking.

During a time of civil war in Afghanistan, many teachers left Kabul University. The area around the university became a battlefield. This caused a lot of damage and disruption.

Rebuilding and Challenges (2001-2021)

After the Taliban government was removed in 2001, people around the world helped rebuild Afghanistan's schools and universities. By 2004, Kabul University had only 24 computers. To help it recover, the university partnered with foreign universities like Purdue University.

The number of students in higher education grew a lot across Afghanistan. By 2008, Kabul University had 9,660 students. About 2,336 of them were women.

In 2007, Iran gave money to the university's dentistry department. They also donated 25,000 books. The main library at Kabul University is the best in Afghanistan. It was built with help from the United States and has computers, books, and magazines.

In 2008, the university campus got a local computer network. This connected all the buildings and provided internet access. This also improved phone calls within the university.

Sadly, Kabul University faced attacks. On July 19, 2019, a car bomb exploded outside the university. It killed 8 people and injured 33 others. On November 2, 2020, gunmen attacked the university, killing 35 people and wounding 56.

After 2021

After the 2021 Taliban offensive, the Taliban took control of the university. The Taliban replaced the university's leader, Mohammad Osman Babury, with Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat. Some people were concerned because Ghairat had little experience in running a university. Many teachers resigned because of this change.

In October 2021, Osama Aziz, who has a doctorate in Islamic law, became the new leader. Classes at the university were stopped for a while.

Kabul University reopened on February 26, 2022. Female students attend classes in the morning, and male students attend in the afternoon. The music department was closed, but most other subjects remained the same. Female students are asked to wear an abaya and a hijab.

What You Can Study

Kabul University has many different departments where students can learn. Here are some of them:

• The Faculty of Environment Science teaches about protecting the environment, managing natural resources, and dealing with natural disasters.
• The Faculty of Law and Political Sciences has departments for public law, criminal law, private law, and international relations.
• The Faculty of Computer Science offers studies in software engineering, computer science, information technology, and information systems.
• The Faculty of Economics has departments like finance, business management, and national economics.
• The Faculty of Science includes departments for biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics.
• The Faculty of Engineering has six departments, such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and civil engineering.
• The Faculty of Pharmacy has five departments and eight laboratories. About 400 students study here.
• The Faculty of Agriculture teaches about farming, animal sciences, soil, and plant protection.
• The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine focuses on animal health and food hygiene.
• The Faculty of Journalism has departments for radio & TV and press.
• The Allama Iqbal Faculty of Arts was built in 2010 with help from Pakistan. It has classrooms, seminar halls, a library, and computer labs.
• The Faculty of Language and Literature offers many language studies, including Pashto, Dari, English, Russian, German, Turkish, French, Arabic, Spanish, and Chinese.
• The Faculty of Fine Arts has departments for sculpture, painting, graphic design, theater, music, and screenwriting.
• The Faculty of Islamic Studies teaches about religious law, Islamic beliefs, and the Quran.
• The Faculty of Social Science includes archaeology, anthropology, philosophy, and history.
• The Psychology and Educational Science Faculty has departments for education, psychology, and management.

National Centre for Policy Research

The National Centre for Policy Research was created at Kabul University in 2003. It helps with research in law, politics, economics, and social science.

University Library

In 1992, the university library had 200,000 books and many old manuscripts. But after a civil war, many of these valuable items were lost or damaged. The library also served as Afghanistan's National Library.

Famous People Who Studied Here

Many important people have studied or taught at Kabul University, including:

• Mohammad Yusuf, a former Prime Minister of Afghanistan
• Mohammad Najibullah, a former President of Afghanistan
• Burhanuddin Rabbani, another former President of Afghanistan
• Ahmad Shah Massoud, a famous Afghan military leader
• Nancy Dupree, an American archaeologist

See also

• List of Islamic educational institutions
• Education in Afghanistan
• List of universities in Afghanistan

Images for kids

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  Biology class during the late 1950s or early 1960s.

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  Nancy Dupree was the director of the Afghan Center at Kabul University (ACKU) starting 1962.

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  Zalmay Khalilzad and Ashraf Ghani visiting Kabul University in 2005.

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  Inside the university's Central Library in 2008.