Several students at the Faculty of Chemistry at Kabul University have raised complaints about the absence of professional laboratory technicians at their faculty. They say that before the Taliban takeover, all laboratory technicians at this faculty were women, but following the Taliban’s rise to power, those women were dismissed from their positions, and the faculty is now facing a severe shortage of qualified laboratory staff. The students add that in the absence of professional laboratory technicians, practical lessons are either not taught at all or are delivered at a very low quality. According to them, these challenges have prevented students from receiving proper and standardized practical training, a situation that has cast a shadow of concern over their academic futures. In their view, some scientific subjects cannot be understood without hands-on laboratory work, and this situation has seriously disrupted the learning process.
Speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, these students emphasized that the absence of professional laboratory technicians has significantly reduced the quality of instruction in practical components. They believe that if this situation continues, it will lower the practical knowledge of graduates from this faculty and place them at a disadvantage in academic and professional competitions. They further noted that this situation has caused students to fail to properly acquire even basic laboratory skills.
The students are calling on university officials to act as soon as possible to resolve this problem and to create the conditions necessary for hiring qualified and experienced laboratory technicians.
Ali, one of the students at the Faculty of Chemistry, considers the absence of professional laboratory technicians in the faculty’s laboratories to be deeply troubling. He says that the suspension of women from working at the university has caused this problem, and the individuals currently working in these departments do not possess the required expertise. According to him, laboratory materials and equipment are currently available, but there is no qualified person to conduct experiments or demonstrate chemical processes. He adds that in the past, female laboratory technicians worked in these departments, and practical training was carried out in a regular and standardized manner.
This student says: “At present, the materials in the laboratories are not being properly demonstrated to us. While chemical experiments must be carried out practically, this is simply not possible. All the laboratory technicians were women, but after they were dismissed and women’s work in this department was halted, there is now no one to demonstrate these materials and experiments to students. Chemistry is a completely experimental field and must be taught practically, not limited to textbook lessons alone. Currently, instruction remains largely theoretical, and unqualified individuals are working in the laboratories, which is a matter of serious concern.”
This student emphasizes that chemistry lessons have been confined to textbook content, and the opportunity for hands-on laboratory work has become extremely limited or has nearly disappeared entirely, a situation that he believes could severely reduce the skill level of graduates. He stresses that they have raised this problem with university officials on numerous occasions, but no effective action has been taken so far.
Ali further adds: “When a student graduates without practical training, they will face serious deficiencies in the job market and even in continuing their education. We have complained about this situation many times, but so far it has gone unaddressed. Despite the fact that equipment and materials are available, there is no qualified person to provide practical instruction. The goal of students is not merely to obtain a diploma, but to acquire real and applicable knowledge so that they can be useful to society in the future.”
Sattar (pseudonym), another student at this faculty, says that the majority of students are not even familiar with basic laboratory concepts and chemical materials. He adds that if this situation continues, students will face serious challenges in the job market. According to him, if a chemistry student is not familiar with laboratory materials and chemical compounds, they cannot work effectively in their field.
This student says: “The chemistry disciplines, including organic, physical, inorganic, and analytical chemistry, are in strong need of practical laboratory work. Experiments must be conducted hands-on, because dry and purely theoretical instruction yields no meaningful outcome for students. For instance, one must observe how colors change through chemical reactions, or how cations and anions can be identified. Even in the simplest cases, such as identifying carbon and hydrogen in organic compounds, practical work is required. Without these experiences, a student cannot understand how concepts are applied in practice.”
This student emphasizes that a professional laboratory technician must be hired at this faculty as soon as possible, and the course structure must be reformed. He adds, “Identifying materials and knowing how to use them, including acids, bases, and salts, is critically important, yet these topics are not being demonstrated to students practically. Students should be taught how to use these materials correctly and safely. In addition, equipment such as distillation apparatus and centrifuges is available, but many students are not even familiar with them and have no basic awareness of laboratory work, because these items are not being practically demonstrated to them.”
The Department of Chemistry was established in 1942 as part of the Faculty of Science at Kabul University and was elevated to the Institute of Chemistry in 1971. The institution was recognized as an independent faculty in 2016 and currently encompasses departments of organic, inorganic, analytical, and physical chemistry.
Following the fall of the previous government and the Taliban’s takeover, hundreds of professional university professors left Afghanistan. At the same time, with the suspension of women from working, a large number of female academic staff were barred from continuing their activities at universities, a situation that has now resulted in a widespread shortage of teaching personnel at public higher education institutions. Students are urging university officials to act promptly to resolve this problem and, by recruiting qualified professionals, to create the conditions necessary for standardized practical education.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
دانشکده کیمیا دانشگاه کابل؛ حذف لابرانتها و سقوط کیفیت آموزش عملی
