As a component in higher education in Afghanistan, educating architects to steer the country’s conservation and planning of built environment is crucially needed. To raise the technical capacity for professionals working in built environment related fields in Afghan cities, higher education in architecture commenced at Kabul University (KU) with support from USAID in 1968 and the first group of Afghan academic architects graduated in 1973. Despite having a good standard, ten years later as part of the Engineering Faculty, the Department of Architecture degraded when the Soviet backed regime looked at it objectionably after 1979. Supported by the former USSR, the Kabul Polytechnic Institute (KPI) as a favorite alternative school initiated architectural education in 1980. This paper studies the process of educating architects in Afghanistan from the pre-war era and up to now. Limitations and opportunities in view of educating young architects for current and future conservation activities and development of the Built Environment in Afghanistan are examined.
Najimi, Abdul Wasay. "Architectural Education in Afghanistan: Evolution, Challenges and Opportunities," in ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 6, issue 2 (2012).