Master’s graduates from the University of Massachusetts (UMass), Amherst Center for International Education are giving back to their faculties of education by passing on training and research as part of USAID’s Higher Education Project (HEP) returnees program.
Between July 3-15, a workshop brought together returnees from five universities to share their experiences of coming home and to design and develop a “Basics of Academic Research Course” for their colleagues.
The six USAID/HEP returnees not only brought the knowledge and experience they acquired at UMass, but also a practical perspective on the Afghan higher education context to the course design process. Their background gave them a unique insight into carrying out research in Afghanistan and also key knowledge about the needs and capabilities of their Faculty of Education colleagues. In addition, they were knowledgeable about the procedures of the Ministry of Higher Education, which outlined in its National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2010-2014 its commitment to improving academic research in their institutions.