KABUL (PAN): The minister-designate for higher education has said teachers' capacity would be doubled in the next five years in addition to improving the quality in higher education to attract more graduates. Professor Obaidullah Obaid, former dean of Kabul Medical University, who appeared before the Wolesi Jirga on Wednesday, seeking a vote of confidence, presented his future plans and answered the questions posed by the lawmakers. Obaid told the house that there had been many achievements in the last eight years in the area of higher education, but still the problems remained there which needed to be addressed. "Lack of training staff, hostels buildings, training programmes, female teachers for higher education in restive provinces and a lack of monitoring and check system for private sector higher education institutions and less number of students are the key problems facing the ministry," he explained. He said if the house gave him the vote of confidence, he would make efforts to address these problems. "My aim is to improve the quality of higher education, enhance the capacity of teaching staff to enable them to respond to the needs of present time." He said in the next five years, he had plans to establish new departments, expand the culture of night shift classes in universities, construct buildings and hostels for universities, and establish semi-higher education organisations in joint cooperation with relevant ministries in order to increase the students' enrollment to higher studies to 120,000 per annum. He added 330 teachers would be sent abroad for PHD, and 700 for master degrees. He said he would establish research units, equip laboratories and libraries, provide opportunity for English and Computer trainings and access to internet to build the quality of higher education. He said a process would be initiated to avoid any fake documentation and would also establish residential blocks for university teachers. Responding to a question about the low quality and high fees of the private educational institutes, Obaid said a new regulation would be established in this regard. Among 26 cabinet members, President Hamid Karzai has far introduced Abdul Rahim Wardak for defence, Ghulam Faruq Wardak for education, Sarwar Danish for justice, Sayed Muhammad Amin Fatimei for health and Muhammad Hanif Atmar for interior portfolios to the lower house for a vote of confidence. They presented their future plans and responded to the questions. mnm/ma
