Qatar pledges academic and cancer care support for Afghanistan

Qatar has pledged to bring professors from Qatar and other Islamic countries to Afghanistan and help equip a cancer treatment centre, as the two countries seek closer academic cooperation.

Afghanistan’s Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem met Qatar’s Ambassador Mirdif bin Ali Al Qashouti on Sunday, the Ministry of Higher Education said.

The ministry said Al Qashouti also promised support in other academic and scientific fields, but gave no timetable or financial details.

Academic cooperation

Al Qashouti said Qatar welcomed developments in Afghanistan’s education sector.

“We are pleased to see Afghanistan’s progress and the strengthening of higher education and education in the country.”

The ministry said Nadeem told the ambassador that Afghanistan remained committed to modern education and scientific advancement while taking Islamic Sharia and the country’s culture into account.

Nadeem has previously described higher education as central to national development. In a message on the ministry’s website, he said, “The comprehensive progress and development of every nation depend on the strength of its higher education system.”

Education restrictions remain

The pledge comes as Afghanistan’s education system continues to face international scrutiny over restrictions affecting women and girls.

UNESCO said on 14 August that women have remained barred from university education since 2022 and estimated that 2.4 million girls had been excluded from secondary education by 2026.

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The ministry’s statement did not say whether the proposed cooperation with Qatar would include female students or academics.

Nadeem invited Al Qashouti to visit higher education institutions as well as the cancer diagnosis and treatment centre at Kabul University of Medical Sciences. The ambassador accepted the invitation, according to the ministry.

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Afghanistan university Qatar Sharia UNESCO