Afghanistan Center at Kabul University (ACKU)

ACKU's mission is to support the process of nation-building in Afghanistan by providing a platform for sharing information, facilitating research and the exchange of ideas, and encouraging a habit of reading among Afghans. ACKU has been trying to achieve this mission through three of its main programmatic components: Library, Research and ACKU Box Library Extension (ABLE). Four core competencies are fundamental to ACKU's programming: 1. Securing the collection and ensuring that it is accessible to students, researchers and others; 2. Collecting additional relevant material in the form of acquisitions; 3. Interpreting the collection through research, lectures, seminars and other acti... read more ACKU's mission is to support the process of nation-building in Afghanistan by providing a platform for sharing information, facilitating research and the exchange of ideas, and encouraging a habit of reading among Afghans. ACKU has been trying to achieve this mission through three of its main programmatic components: Library, Research and ACKU Box Library Extension (ABLE). Four core competencies are fundamental to ACKU's programming: 1. Securing the collection and ensuring that it is accessible to students, researchers and others; 2. Collecting additional relevant material in the form of acquisitions; 3. Interpreting the collection through research, lectures, seminars and other activities; and 4. Disseminating information and knowledge through publications and electronic media. The competencies sets out the critical activities that ACKU intends to pursue in terms of promoting access to knowledge, developing and supporting a community of scholars and strengthening the overall management of the operation while expanding its reach across Afghanistan and in the electronic realm. Literacy Afghanistan has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world. Of nearly 30 million inhabitants, over 11 million above the age of 15 can neither read nor write. In rural areas where three-fourths of people live, the literacy challenge is even more acute. In these areas, more than 60 percent of men and 90 percent of women are illiterate. Opportunities to attend school remain startlingly inadequate, especially for girls, women, rural and nomadic/internally displaced populations. The impact on reading habits and ultimately on scholarly endeavors, is unmistakable. Serving isolated populations with unique needs is another challenge addressed by ACKU. Incarcerated individuals, military/police personnel and others with limited access to reading material are frequently overlooked by literacy programs and the education system as a whole. Other barriers to access include the absence of adequate roads, challenging topography and persistent security concerns. The end result is an overall lack of access to books and other reading material. Reading Culture Compounding this situation, and in large part due to it, is the absence of a robust culture of reading in Afghanistan. Generally speaking, Afghans are not avid readers. There is a need to sensitize communities about the importance of reading and learning. At ACKU, ABLE program is addressing this by establishing libraries throughout the country while raising awareness about the importance of reading and learning. We accomplish this by initiating one-on-one dialogues with community leaders. We show them the books, explain how they will benefit the community and essentially alleviate their concerns about any perceived negative impacts on traditional lifestyles. Academic Research Over thirty years of sustained conflict has decimated Afghanistan's academic research environment and infrastructure. Many of the same beliefs that have negatively impacted the reading culture have also diminished the overall quality of critical reading and thinking skills in the country, particularly among young people. This is compounded by the fact that the predominant teaching style is now a rote one. Few teachers have research expertise and, as a result, they cannot effectively teach research skills to their students. The general level of scholarship, particularly at the university level, has declined as a result. It will take a concerted effort on the part of many entities to rebuild Afghanistan's scholarly tradition. ACKU's Library and Research Department attempts to fill this gap by, 1) providing free research methodology and critical reading/thinking courses to university level students 2) organizing different scholarly events, such as conferences, workshops, seminars, and lecture series 3) assisting students who are conducting research 4) providing over 170,000 documents related to Afghanistan through ACKU library 5) providing over 70,000 digital contents through ACKU databases, which researchers/students and anyone interested in Afghanistan can access to from any part of the world 6) organizing annual conference on Afghanistan Studies and bringing the students and scholars together in the same platform