Law and Political Science are among the most important branches of the humanities, each with its own specialized and applied fields. Law involves the study of laws and regulations, the rights and obligations of individuals, the judicial structure, and the methods of organizing social and governmental relations. Political Science, in turn, covers areas such as power, the state, government, political systems, domestic and foreign policy, political behavior, international relations, conflicts, and diplomacy. Despite their specialized differences, these two disciplines are closely linked and play a fundamental role in shaping and analyzing the relations between the state, society, and political institutions.
Studying these two disciplines is of particular importance to any society, since a significant portion of social, political, and governmental relations is built upon laws, regulations, and political mechanisms. Universities, as institutions responsible for producing knowledge and specialized human resources, therefore bear the responsibility of providing quality education tailored to the needs of society in these fields. In Afghanistan, the fields of Law and Political Science have also followed a turbulent path. In earlier periods, access to legal and political education was largely limited to the royal family and classes close to it; however, with political and social changes, these fields gradually became available to a broader segment of society. The educational content and curricula of these fields, like many other parts of the education system, have also been influenced by the prevailing political structure of each period.
After 2001 and the emergence of a new political order, Afghanistan’s education system also gradually changed and aligned with certain international educational values and standards. The expansion of technology and the internet also made access to scientific resources and new developments in political science and law easier. Nevertheless, for years there was no unified curriculum in these fields, until in 2019, the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) established a unified curriculum for universities, separating Law from Political Science and International Relations. The goal of this measure was to standardize educational content and make these fields more specialized. During this same period, with the expansion of private universities, the number of higher education institutions, and consequently the number of students and graduates in Law and Political Science, increased rapidly. Post-2001 Afghanistan, which faced a shortage of specialized human resources in many administrative, judicial, and political sectors, needed these graduates. As a result, Law and Political Science gained considerable popularity among students and universities.
However, one of the fundamental problems of Afghanistan’s higher education system was the absence of accurate needs assessment and effective coordination between institutions producing human resources and institutions employing them. As a result, a gap gradually formed between the supply of specialized personnel and the demand of the labor market. This situation became more noticeable in the final years of the republic and took on a wider scale following the political developments of 2021.
The reasons behind the decline of Law and Political Science – International Relations can be examined through several major factors:
First: Production of human resources exceeding labor market capacity
After 2001, Afghanistan faced a severe shortage of human resources, particularly individuals with university education. This shortage caused the quantitative expansion of higher education to take priority over quality and needs assessment in the early years. With the establishment of private universities, access to higher education increased, and the number of graduates grew rapidly as well. Although several public and private universities attempted to uphold academic and educational standards, overall, the pace of higher education expansion did not fully match the actual capacity of the labor market and the needs of governmental and non-governmental institutions. This problem was more evident in Law and Political Science. A large number of universities established these fields, while the annual absorption capacity of the government, legal institutions, research organizations, international organizations, and other related bodies did not correspond to the volume of graduates.
For example, if approximately 1,200 people graduated from Law and Political Science at one private university in a single year, and numerous other universities also had students and graduates in the same field, the cumulative number of graduates over ten years could be very high. If we hypothetically assume an average of 100 graduates annually for each of 11 universities, the number of graduates from these universities alone would reach approximately 11,000 over a decade. It is clear that such an estimate is not an actual statistic, but it shows that in the absence of needs assessment, a serious gap can form between the supply of human resources and labor market capacity.
Second: Commercialization of part of higher education and poor quality
The expansion of private universities was one of the important developments in Afghanistan’s higher education after 2001. These universities played an important role in increasing public access to higher education; however, alongside this, in some cases, economic interests, political relations, and the influence of powerful individuals affected how certain educational institutions were established and managed. Under such circumstances, at several institutions, the commercial aspect of higher education overtook its academic mission, and increasing the number of students and graduates took priority over educational quality.
The consequence of this situation was the entry of a large number of graduates into a labor market that did not have the capacity to absorb them. The problem was not merely the increase in the number of universities, but rather the fundamental issue was the lack of proportion between educational capacity, teaching quality, societal needs, and job opportunities. In fact, in some cases, rather than producing specialized personnel based on labor market needs assessment, the higher education system moved more in response to existing demand for university education.
Third: Weak specialization and meritocracy in the government structure
Another important factor in the declining appeal of Law and Political Science was the weakness of specialization within the government’s administrative structure. During the years of the republic, although government institutions needed specialists in law, political science, and international relations, in some cases hiring was influenced by connections, intermediaries, political considerations, and other non-specialized factors. Graduates of Political Science and International Relations could naturally work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), diplomatic institutions, research centers, international organizations, and policy-related sectors. However, when the criterion of specialization in hiring weakens, students’ motivation to choose these fields also decreases.
For example, in the final years of the republic, there were reported cases of individuals with unrelated educational backgrounds being appointed to positions in diplomacy and foreign relations due to connections and non-specialized considerations. While such cases may be exceptions, if repeated, they can undermine confidence in the relationship between education, specialization, and employment.
Fourth: Change in political structure after 2021 and reduced demand for political science
With the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Afghanistan’s political structure underwent a fundamental change. Several political institutions of the republic, including the parliament and the electoral system, were dissolved, and a new political structure was formed based on the Taliban’s interpretation of an Islamic system. This transformation naturally also affected the labor market for Political Science and International Relations. In a system without electoral structures, parliament, and certain former political institutions, some of the job opportunities related to political science are reduced. As a result, direct demand for graduates of this field also becomes more limited.
However, this situation should not be interpreted to mean that Afghanistan no longer needs political science. A society facing complex issues such as governance, internal conflicts, regional relations, diplomacy, foreign policy, and engagement with the international system still needs political science specialists, even though the structure and level of demand for such expertise may have changed.
Fifth: Shift in approach toward legal and political science education
The change in political structure has also had a considerable impact on the field of law. In the Taliban’s view, a significant part of the legal and social system is defined based on Sharia and Islamic jurisprudence. From this perspective, some of the functions that a modern legal system carries out through statutory laws, the constitution, and legal institutions must instead be defined within the framework of Sharia rulings.
This difference in approach can affect the standing of the field of law within the education and administrative system. In other words, the issue is not merely a reduction in the number of job opportunities; rather, the definition and standing of legal knowledge itself have changed under the new political structure compared to the republic era. In the field of political science and international relations as well, perceptions of the state, government, political legitimacy, domestic policy, and foreign policy are shaped by the intellectual framework of the ruling system. Therefore, the change in the political system directly affects the educational content and social application of these fields.
Sixth: Change in curriculum and removal of certain subjects
Another factor affecting the status of these fields is the change in curriculum. In 2025, a number of subjects related to constitutional law, human rights, democracy, electoral systems, the constitution, and similar topics were removed from the curriculum. Such changes are not merely an educational reform; they can reflect a shift in how the political system views the concepts and knowledge needed by society. When part of the fundamental concepts of public law and political science are removed or restricted from the curriculum, it is natural for the scope of education and research in these fields to become more limited as well. As a result, declining student interest, educational and administrative pressures on private universities, and reduced job opportunities have together created a set of factors that have led to the gradual decline of these fields.
Seventh: Cancellation or reduction of certain Law and Political Science programs at private universities
The continuation of this trend has ultimately reached a point where the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has issued permission to cancel Law and Political Science – International Relations programs at some private universities. This development should not be seen merely as a sign that Afghanistan no longer needs legal and political science specialists. Such an interpretation overlooks the difference between the “real needs of society” and the “existing demand within the political structure and labor market.” It is possible that, under current conditions, official demand for these fields has decreased, but Afghanistan’s need for legal knowledge, governance, diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution, and policymaking remains in place. If the country’s political structure changes in the future, the need for specialists in these fields will likely increase again, while training specialized personnel is not something that can be achieved in the short term.
Consequences of the decline of Law and Political Science
The decline of these fields is not merely an issue related to universities and students; it could have broader consequences for Afghanistan’s future.
First: A decline in education and research in the fields of law and political science could lead to a reduction in the country’s expert capacity in governance and policymaking.
Second: Limiting the teaching of concepts such as the constitution, public law, human rights, political systems, diplomacy, and international relations widens the gap between Afghanistan and global academic and scientific developments.
Third: If the political structure changes again and the need for legal and political institutions increases, the country may face a serious shortage of specialized personnel, since training legal and political science specialists is a time-consuming process, and this gap cannot be filled in a short period.
Conclusion
Over the past two decades, the field of Law and Political Science in Afghanistan first followed an upward trajectory and then a downward one. In the years after 2001, the shortage of specialized human resources, the expansion of the government and new institutions, the development of private universities, and increased labor market demand contributed to the growth of these fields. However, the absence of accurate needs assessment, the quantitative growth of universities, production exceeding labor market capacity, weak specialization and meritocracy, and structural problems in higher education laid the early groundwork for its decline.
Nevertheless, the decisive factor at the current stage is the change in political structure after 2021. The removal or alteration of many political institutions of the republic, reduced job opportunities related to political science, a shift in approach toward legal and political knowledge, and curriculum reforms have intensified the decline of these fields. Therefore, the decline of Law and Political Science in Afghanistan cannot be attributed solely to labor market saturation or reduced student interest. This decline results from a combination of imbalance between supply and demand, weaknesses in the higher education system, reduced specialization, changes in political structure, and a shift in approach toward legal and political knowledge.
Even so, the current decline in demand should not be mistaken for a decline in Afghanistan’s actual need for this knowledge. Law and Political Science are among the fields that every political system and every society, regardless of the type of government, needs in order to manage affairs, organize social relations, resolve conflicts, formulate policy, and engage with the world. Therefore, while these fields may currently be experiencing decline in Afghanistan, the need for the knowledge and expertise found within them has not disappeared. Should the country’s political and social structure transform, this need could once again become one of the pressing requirements of Afghanistan’s educational and administrative system.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis article here:
