The inauguration ceremony, held on the 4th May, 2004 was officiated by the Minister of Higher Education, Sharif Fayez, the Rector of Kabul University, Mohammed Akbar Popal, the Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Kazem Ahang, and UNESCO Country Director, Martin Hadlow.

The new campus radio station, which broadcasts on a frequency of 106.7 MHz FM, is based in the University’s Faculty of Journalism and will serve both as a training tool for journalism students and an educational out-reach voice for the University in its efforts to further engage the local community. The equipment for the radio station was funded by UNESCO and supplied through the Mallard Company in the UK. It was installed by a UNESCO consultant. Further professional radio operations training is being provided to Faculty of Journalism staff by two technical experts funded by the Government of France.

The computer training centre, also located within the Faculty of Journalism, was funded under UNESCO’s INFOYOUTH programme and comprises eight computers and a high-speed Internet connection. The facility enables students, especially girls and women, to have dedicated access, free of charge, to global information and e-mail connections without leaving the Faculty premises. UNESCO’s two Afghan IT specialists are providing training to staff and students in a range of Internet and computer applications.

The new media library for students and staff contains thousands of books received after a UNESCO global Internet appeal. The message seeking assistance was carried on UNESCO’s Webworld web-site in early 2002. At that time, the Faculty of Journalism’s dusty reference shelves contained a few old magazines and only one book, Das Kapital by Karl Marx. Now, thanks to the UNESCO appeal and the generosity of donors worldwide, the shelves are stocked with some of the latest media, journalism and technology titles sent by individuals, publishers and universities in the USA and Canada, UK, France, Germany and other countries in Europe, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as from Africa and Latin America.

A significant book collection was donated by the international NGO, Freedom Forum, which had closed its reference library in London and offered the books to Kabul University. The collection was air-freighted to Afghanistan at the expense of the international broadcaster, CNN. UNESCO has also provided new shelving, chairs and tables to the library, along with a computer to enable the books to be properly indexed. The Government of France is making available technical assistance through the funding of an expert librarian.

In opening the three facilities, the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Fayez, noted the value of the resources to journalism students in now enabling them to study both practical and theoretical aspects of their craft. The Rector of Kabul University, Professor Popal, and the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Ahang, recalled the situation two years ago when the Faculty premises were almost devoid of equipment and materials. Now, they had some of the most modern digital and electronic equipment available anywhere. In his address, UNESCO Kabul Director, Martin Hadlow, said that Kabul University journalism students were the editors, publishers and broadcasters of the future. “Their grounding in craft-skills and freedom of expression principles within the Faculty of Journalism will help to ensure high standards of reporting in the developing democratic environment of Afghanistan” he said. “The tools are now here to enable them to learn how to do their work in ensuring citizens receive impartial, balanced and independent access to news and information”.

Previously, UNESCO also funded the renovation of Faculty of Journalism offices, including the provision of computer equipment, office furniture and student desk/chair combinations for lecture halls. In February, 2002, eight Faculty lecturers and professors were sponsored by UNESCO to attend a one month ‘training of trainers’ and skills upgrading course at the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Additional support is being provided to the Faculty by a range of partners, including the Ecole Superieure de Journalisme at Lille University in France which has, under Government of France funding, provided training and curriculum development expertise and a study exchange programme.