Here are the key findings of this report:

• The return of the Taliban to power in 2021 has had a devastating impact on the state of academic freedom and higher education in Afghanistan. The study found that since the return of the Taliban, more than 3,000 Afghan academics have left their jobs or the country due to Taliban’s restriction on academic freedom and threats of persecution. Similarly, the student body at both public and private universities in Afghanistan have shrunk by almost half, including female students who have been impacted by the Taliban’s ban on secondary and higher education;

• The Taliban have introduced significant institutional and curricular changes in Afghanistan’s higher education system, further shrinking space for academic freedom and promoting religious radicalization. These include removing certain subjects such as human rights or peace studies and increasing Islamic studies subjects from the previously 8 credits to 24 credits across all subjects and degree programs. The Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has been given an oversight role on the higher education system, which includes curricular reviews. Taliban members are appointed in top leadership positions as well as faculty members at Afghan universities.

For more information on the research, please contact melanieadrian@cunet.carleton.ca.

Here are the key findings on the scholar placement challenges and best hosting practices in Canadian universities offering pragmatic solutions:

• This assessment reveals diverse approaches to hosting at-risk scholars. These approaches are shaped by hosting philosophies, institutional capacities, funding, collective agreements, policies, and strategic priorities.

• Findings demonstrate diverse experiences by scholars hosted at Canadian universities. While ‘success’ and its criteria remain relative, findings suggest that the enabling the environment for integration of at-risk scholars in Canadian higher education emerges as a key criterion for hosting quality. However, there are divergent perspectives on institutional responsibility and the extent to which host institutions should engage in supporting at-risk scholars beyond humanitarian commitments.

• Additionally, findings demonstrate that Canadian universities found value and benefits in hosting at-risk scholars beyond academic solidarity. While humanitarianism and academic solidarity appeared to be the common denominator, findings identified a myriad of other reasons such as protecting academic freedom as a cornerstone of modern education, enhancing global engagement, internationalization and enriching campus diversity, fostering institutional reputation, and promoting international collaboration and intellectual exchange. Depending on universities’ institutional capacity and resources, these reasonings also informed policies and defined levels of institutional commitment and resource allocation.

• Key themes emerging from the interviews include hosting infrastructure, funding, resource mobilization, strategic alignment and advocacy, vetting and immigration and post-arrival academic settlement challenges, support, and integration.

For more information on the research, please contact melanieadrian@cunet.carleton.ca.