Session Submission Summary

Laying the foundation for resilient higher education systems in post-conflict environments: the case of Afghanistan

Mon, April 15, 3:15 to 4:45pm, Hyatt Regency, Floor: Bay (Level 1), Bayview B

Group Submission Type: Refereed Round-Table Session

Proposal

By examining the case study of higher education in Afghanistan, this panel directly addresses the CIES 2019 theme, “an education that promises – and sometimes delivers – productivity, industrialization, modernity and consumption” to answer questions around longer-term cost and who bears the price.

Thirty years of consistent conflict have rendered the Afghan education system in dire need of continuous support. While the post-Taliban era witnessed significant improvement in access and some improvement in the quality of education at all levels, Afghanistan’s higher education system needs fiscal support and assistance in promoting transparency, fiscal autonomy, and the improvement of the quality of academic programs. Through support from USAID’s University Support and Workforce Development Program (USDWP), the U.S. Government (USG) has laid the foundation at eleven top public universities in Afghanistan to foster improved skills and professionalism among faculty members; encourage capable and motivated students; establish diverse, innovative and market-oriented academic programs; establish avenues for public-private collaboration; establish international university partnerships; and support other innovations that would move Afghanistan toward the quality higher education system it deserves.

Over the course of X years of program development and implementation, USDWP discovered that determining the longer-term cost of a higher education system that promotes productivity, industrialization, and modernity in a post-conflict context is challenging. This is especially true in environments where conflict and political uncertainty continually threaten the project’s implementation. Education development planning in post-conflict contexts must remain cognizant of the political realities on the ground and have consistent and persistent interaction with the stakeholders. This consistency and persistence require time and resources. The price tag, at least during the initial years, is generally high and must be covered by international donors if peace and prosperity is the eventual goal for the country. However, through targeted programming, dialogue, and actively “hearing” the other side, higher education institutions can become resilient and sustain academic improvements facilitated by international donors.

USWDP’s implementation demonstrates that once Afghan faculty members and higher education administrators experience success with their policies, programming, students and other strategies, they become more motivated and do all that is possible to sustain and build on these improvements. Translating institutional progress into permanent success for Afghanistan will require long-term commitment from the international donor community.

This proposed panel will have representatives from USAID-Afghanistan (discussant - pending travel approval), FHI 360, Purdue University and University of Massachusetts. They will present insights and lead a discussion on the following four cases:

1. The Afghanistan Higher Education System: Identifying Points of Resilience to Support and Lay the Foundation for Sustainability in a Post-Conflict Environment.
2. Building Relevant Academic Programs and Improving Research Capacity in Emerging Skill, Post-Conflict Higher Education Systems: Lessons Learned from Building Faculty Members’ Disciplinary, Teaching and Research Capacity to Support Establishment of a New Food Technology Department.
3. Where Have All the Students Gone? Tracing the Lives and Livelihoods of Graduates of USWDP-Supported Academic Programs in Afghanistan.
4. A Centralized Purse versus Local Autonomy: Establishing Fiscal Independence and Transparency in Higher Education Institutions in Afghanistan.

Sub Unit

Chair

Individual Presentations

Discussant