Analyzing the evolution of higher education in Afghanistan

The analysis of higher education is considered as an important historical research and it has been discussed in most countries, but in Afghanistan, it seems that higher education has been less analyzed. Therefore, this research was conducted to analyze the evolution of higher education in Afghanistan. The study used a qualitative research method with a historical lens. The researcher tried to use documents related to historical periods, available resolutions, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with key experts in the field of higher education using a "targeted approach" based on the pattern of qualitative interviews and theoretical saturation, with 14 people and show the evolution of higher education with an analytical perspective. The results of the findings show the evolution of Afghanistan's higher education in five periods of pragmatism, Isolation and exclusivity, stagnation, and transformation. The fifth period, which is the ritualization of universities based on Islamic teachings, begins after 2021. Higher education has had different orientations since 1932-2021. The common feature of these orientations in most periods has been ideological orientations.