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Few Kandaharis have the opportunity to study beyond high school, but enrolment at Kandahar University
continues to increase yearly, and there are now over 1,000 male and 60 female students attending
classes in the university's four faculties -- engineering, medicine, education, and agriculture.
Established in 1991, the university has 11 buildings, the most recognizable of which is the main mosque,
seen in this photograph. The institution was badly damaged years of war and neglect;
teachers weren’t getting paid, classes were regularly cancelled. Then came the Taliban,
who would not allow women into classrooms, and who focused almost exclusively on Islamic studies.
All that is now changing, as physical and social changes slowly take hold in Kandahar city.
Recently appointed Governor Wesa, himself the first president of the university,
announced his support for further investment in Kandahar University during his inauguration ceremony in the fall.
On a recent visit to Kandahar university, development officer Julie Boileau explained to the Chancelor
that Canada was keen to continue their successful partnership in the months and years to come.
The two had met numerous times previously, and discussed a wide range of potential projects that Canada could invest in.
They settled on refurbishing the dining hall, and renovating the medical faculty as short term goals,
with potentially more in the pipeline as these projects progress.
These efforts build on other successful initiatives pursued in cooperation with the university --
including a huge wall that now surrounds the university, nicknamed the "Great Wall of Kandahar", a women's lounge, and new equipment for classrooms.
With greater investment, over time, students and faculty are increasingly optimistic that the future they hope for will soon be a reality.
From the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar, this is Lucas Robinson.