| | |
 |
|
| 01-16-2004 | Previous edition: 01-15-2004 |
        
     |
Printer-friendly version Partnership program aids Afghan students
Staff Writer A Purdue professor of agriculture economics said that he did not feel threatened by the surge in violence while he was in Afghanistan last year as part of a partnership between Purdue and three Kabul universities. Kevin McNamara, who is active in Afghan rebuilding efforts, said that most of the conflicts are occurring in remote areas far from Kabul. Fluent in Dari, one of the Afghan languages, he said that he could walk freely around the city and in the market places, where he often speaks with the local people. The Kabul University and Purdue University Partnership for Capacity Human Building in Agriculture, Education, Engineering and Technology Applied to Afghanistan Development is a partnership program developed by several Purdue faculty members to work toward rebuilding and improving three universities in Kabul. The four main objectives of this partnership are to provide funds to improve the University buildings, improve the University administration, educate the faculty and enable distance learning, said Frederick Sparrow, director of the partnership and a professor of industrial engineering. Funds come from both Purdue and a United States agency. Approximately $165,000 has been allocated for this project and 90 percent has already been spent or encumbered, said Sparrow. They are looking at other grants from the School of Technology and School of Education to continue the project, he said. The partnership, in its second year, has already shipped 40 computers to the universities in Kabul. These computers, purchased from Information Technology at Purdue, will be used to set up distance-learning laboratories at the Kabul schools, so that Purdue faculty can teach short courses over the Internet. These courses will focus on skills necessary for electricians, mechanics and agricultural workers, said Sparrow. Purdue faculty members have made several visits to Kabul, the first of which was to make assessments. In April and May of 2003, four Afghan faculty members visited Purdue for training. While here, the Afghan faculty received 260 textbooks for nearly every undergraduate class in the School of Agriculture, said McNamara, who travels frequently to Afghanistan. On his last trip back in November, he said the professors were finding the textbooks to be of great help. Next week, three Afghan professors will be arriving at Purdue to begin training. Kabul University has been the site of many conflicts and confrontations during Afghanistan’s violent history, said Zarjon Baha, a professor of building construction management technology who is from Afghanistan. Baha was once the Dean of Engineering at Kabul University. The region around Kabul University and Kabul Polytechnic was the site of a civil war in 1992 after the Russians withdrew, said McNamara. The conflict between several tribal factions vying for control leveled about three-quarters of the city. The dormitories were used as barracks. "It’s a mess," said Sparrow. Classes are rubble-strewn and there is much destruction, he said. Wasim Anwar, a Purdue graduate who traveled to Afghanistan in December 2002 to provide training to Afghan faculty, said he was "shocked" by the condition of the University. "I couldn’t believe how cold it was (inside) and how bad the best place in the University was," said Anwar. "Some rooms did not even have (glass in the) windows." The project will provide funds to restore some of the buildings and to provide reliable electricity and security for computer labs. Through the efforts of Purdue's faculty, Afghan administrators have been trained in university management and curriculm development. According to the project progress report for 2003, the Afghan curricula and courses were 30 years behind current standards. The Schools of Agriculture and Engineering curriculum are now up to date, with the University of Education to follow. "I am proud of Purdue for doing this," said Sparrow. "The people really wanted to learn," said Anwar. They are "hungry" for education and improving their situation, he said. Printer-friendly version |
|
Front Page | Campus | City | Features | Opinions | Sports | Classifieds Advertising | Archive | Links | About us | Letter Submission Form To report any errors with or to give ideas on how we can improve the online edition of The Exponent contact Online Production |
