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Afghan university professors access computing skills


At Nangarhar University in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the Professional Development Centre, opened in February 2009, provides computer facilities and training to university professors in the Faculty of Education.

Forty-nine professors (44 males and 5 females), who lectured 1,248 students in 2009 (54 of whom were females) also received English language training.

While five female professors don't seem a large number, this is the highest number of females in any faculty in the university. There were only two additional female professors in the medical faculty. As more female students enrol in universities, the aim is to encourage more female lecturers.

The Professional Development Centre (PDC) has two rooms: a computer laboratory and an English language laboratory. The computer lab has 14 computers with mounted projectors and screens. There is a dedicated PDC Coordinator/Computer Trainer and one English Language Trainer. The PDC is open from 8:00am to 4:30pm daily. The centre operates four computer training classes per day from Sunday to Thursday for one hour per class. Professors can attend classes on a voluntary basis, as well as use the computer laboratory in their free-time. All English language training is also voluntary - there are 3 one-hour classes per day from Sunday to Thursday.

None of the professors had their own laptop computer, so the PDC was frequently used. One professor indicated that he visited the PDC three to four times each week, and another said he went every day. Two female professors using the computer lab felt comfortable among the male professors because there were always computers available for them to use. The women had not previously used computers before the center was established. They now used them freely, which they said, opens their access to new information.

Some were initially reluctant to use the computers. The PDC Coordinator, however, encouraged professors to attend the training. One professor, a Mullah, viewed computing negatively, thinking that it was used “for evil purposes.” The PDC Coordinator showed him how he could search for religious information. He now sees value in having computer skills and attends training regularly. He was present in the PDC during my visit, working in collaboration with another professor to access information.

One innovation the professors enjoyed was skype. They used the program to communicate with other professors across the country and some were contacting professors internationally.



MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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