QUALIFICATION OF LECTURERS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE FACULTIES AT AFGHAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract: To strengthen the Afghan higher education in the field of Computer Science, 25 Afghan lecturers are studying at the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) in a Masters program, that has been designed to fit to the specialized needs of Information Technology (IT) in Afghanistan. This report summarizes the national IT strategy of Afghanistan, the framework in which the Masters program was conceptualized. An overview of the structure and the curriculum of the program, which combines teachings and practical projects at both TU Berlin and the six participating Afghan universities in Kabul, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar, and Balkh, is given. After the first year of the program, some reflections are made on the problems that have arisen, solutions that have been found, and experiences that have been gained. The paper concludes that while higher education in Afghanistan has not reached an internationally comparable level, there is a demand for further qualification of lecturers abroad. These study programs can be most effective when offering courses that conform with the IT demands of Afghan society