From August 2 to 4, more than 100 engineers, faculty members, and policy makers from Afghan and international government institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations attended a three-day Afghanistan National Engineering Policy Workshop at Kabul University.

The workshop provided a rare opportunity for Afghan and international partners to discuss strategic planning and the status of engineering education in Afghanistan.  The Ministry of Higher Education reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to improving the quality of education.  Representatives from eight Afghan universities discussed their engineering programs in detail highlighting the need to sustain recent achievements in facilities expansion, faculty development, engineering curricula, and student enrollment.  Implementing partners from U.S. and international higher education institutions described their experience working with study abroad and technical assistance programs in Afghanistan.

Workshop participants developed recommendations for selected issues in engineering education including creating a favorable work environment for university professors; developing partnerships between universities and the private sector; establishing guidelines, standards, and an approval process for specialized engineering curricula; establishing an Afghan national accreditation board for engineering programs; and developing a standardized, national core curriculum in engineering.  At the end of the workshop, participants developed a list of action items and agreed to form an advisory committee to coordinate national engineering education policy with the Ministry of Higher Education.  The increased coordination and planning will help improve the quality of engineering education at public universities throughout Afghanistan.