Educational institutions and study programmes
Afghan educational institutions and study programmes
Below, we explain what types of educational institutions and degree programmes there are in Afghanistan. We also explain how we check whether these are recognised. We check the recognition to make sure that the quality is sufficient. We give the necessary information per educational sector.
Secondary education | diplomas
For secondary education diplomas, you do not have to check the recognition of secondary schools separately. Instead, you should especially pay attention to whether a student has the nationally recognised diploma. This is the nationally recognised diploma:
The diploma is issued by the Afghan Ministry of Education.
Higher education | educational institutions
There are different types of higher education institutions in Afghanistan:
- universities;
- institutes for higher education.
Higher education institutions can be public or private. The Ministry of Higher Education determines the content of the study programmes, but higher education institutions can give some input.
Universities
Universities can offer both and . They are allowed to offer bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes, but we mainly see bachelor’s programmes.
Institutes for higher education
In addition to universities, there are institutes for higher education. They can have different names, such as:
- Community college
- Institute
- Polytechnic
These educational institutions offer mainly HBO study programmes.
HBO
Higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). HBO is more oriented towards professions in specific areas than WO, and has traditionally been offered at universities of applied sciences (hogescholen).
WO
Research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). WO is oriented more towards theory and research than HBO, and has traditionally been offered at research universities (universiteiten).
Checking the recognition of higher education institutions
In Afghanistan, higher education institutions must be recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). You can find recognised higher education institutions on the MOHE website: