PAS Kabul: Women’s Dormitory Programming Grant at Balkh University

Security issues continue to prevent women’s full participation in Afghan universities. Providing secure dormitory space for female students supports Afghanistan’s national development goals of educating women and preparing them to serve in leadership positions. The Afghanistan Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) manages all public university dormitories in the country. A two building women’s dormitory at Balkh University is currently being constructed and is expected to be completed in the summer/fall of 2016. The dormitory will host approximately 800 women whose homes are far from the university campuses. They will be students at Balkh University, Balkh Education University, and Balkh Medical University.
Many of the women housed in this dorm struggle academically due both to their limited educational opportunities and weakness in computer skills. Cultural norms allow these women to go to class, but they must otherwise remain confined to the dormitory. Providing supplementary training within the dormitory setting encourages productive use of their leisure time, boosts self-confidence, and improves academic performance. Skills gained through this cooperative agreement also make them better qualified to continue their education or apply for professional positions in the workforce.