Transforming the Landscape of Education in Afghanistan
-Amy Friers (BA '11)
In October 2012, Akbar Quraishi (SU BA ‘09 and MA IR ‘11)
and I opened Afghanistan’s first specialized International Relations University
with the help of several of our Afghan friends and colleagues. Despite many
difficulties with financing and government red tape, we have managed to have a
successful first semester at Diplomacy and International Studies Institute of
Higher Education (DIS). At DIS, we believe that it is crucial to build
professional capacity in the fields of diplomacy, negotiations, governance,
development and security studies so that young Afghans are prepared and have
the necessary skills to take over as foreign presence is reduced in the coming
years. We are struggling against the traditional strict lecture and
memorization culture which has dominated the Afghan educational system for
centuries. At our university, we focus on providing access to up to date
information and teaching critical thinking skills to our students. In class, we
encourage questioning, group work and open discussion to ensure that students
are able to generate creative solutions to Afghanistan’s current and impending
problems. DIS grants scholarships to female students and students from high
conflict areas in an attempt to provide opportunities and to provide a more
balanced voice in the Afghan government. We truly try to live up to our motto:
transforming education, transforming Afghanistan.
For more information please see the DIS website at:
www.dis.af or Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/ DISKabul.