Introduction of the Faculty

Understanding the cultural and literary values of the country in past centuries and in the present era, becoming aware of the nature of the country’s brilliant culture and literature, and transmitting them to future centuries gave rise to the idea of establishing a faculty in the 1320s (1940s). Following this idea, the Faculty of Literature—which took firm steps in introducing the history of the country’s literature and culture—was established within the framework of Kabul University on the first of Mizan, 1323 (1944). At that time, Kabul University had only three faculties: Medicine, Law, and Science.

The aim of establishing this faculty was to educate the country’s youth in order to explain and present the culture and history of the nation and to introduce these phenomena to the world through research and education. In addition, training competent and knowledgeable teachers in various scientific and literary fields constituted another objective of the faculty. The education and nurturing of writers and researchers was also considered one of the main goals of the faculty.

To achieve these objectives, the initial curriculum of the faculty—which included the History of Pashto Literature, History of Dari Literature, Pashto Grammar, Dari Grammar, Pashto Texts, Pashto Literary Techniques, Dari Literary Techniques, Psychology and Philosophy, Arabic, and English—was determined by a qualified committee composed of the late Salahuddin Saljooqi, Dr. Najibullah, Hashim Shayeq Afandi, the deputies of the then Ministry of Education, Sarwar Goya Etemadi, and several other scholars in Kabul, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Education of that time. For teaching, the following professors were appointed: Professor Abdul Hai Habibi (Dean of the Faculty), Mohammad Karim Nazihi, Mohammad Azim Ayazi, Payenda Mohammad Zaheer, Aminullah Zamaryali, Sarwar Goya, Abdul Rauf Benawa, Abdul Haq Bitab, Ghulam Jilani Jalali, Hashim Shayeq Afandi, Amin Mirza Qafqazi, and Shamshir Khan.

With such a curriculum and a limited faculty staff, the first class of the faculty—consisting of ten graduates from Habibia High School and Ahmad Shah High School of Kandahar—was inaugurated on the first of Mizan, 1323 (1944).

From 1330 (1951) onward, the Departments of Geography and History were established, and after 1340 (1961), departments of foreign languages such as German, French, English, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and Russian were created, as well as departments of Journalism, Psychology, Philosophy, and Fine Arts. Subsequently, the Departments of Journalism, Social Sciences, Psychology, and Fine Arts were separated from this faculty and began operating as independent faculties. Accordingly, the name of the faculty was changed from the “Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences” to the “Faculty of Languages and Literature.”

In 1399 (2020), the departments of foreign languages were separated from this faculty and established under the name “Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature,” which began operating as an independent faculty. The Faculty of Languages and Literature currently has three departments: the Department of Pashto Language and Literature, the Department of Dari Language and Literature, and the Department of Uzbek Language and Literature. The Departments of Pashto Language and Literature and Dari Language and Literature, in addition to bachelor’s programs, also offer master’s and doctoral programs.