Investigating Challenges Facing Afghan University Students During Covid-19 Outbreak

Sayed Masood Haidari; Sayed Shafiullah Safawi; Tuğba Yanpar Yelken

doi:10.34293/education.v9i4.4191

Sayed Masood Haidari Faculty of Education, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey
Sayed Shafiullah Safawi Shaheed Prof. Rabbani Education University, Kabul, Afghanistan
Tuğba Yanpar Yelken Faculty of Education, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v9i4.4191

Keywords: Afghan higher education, Covid-19 outbreak, Distance education, Online learning, e-learning

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the challenges students experienced during the lockdowns imposed by the government to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Afghanistan. A qualitative study with a phenomenological research design was employed in this study. Eight university students, including five males and three females, enrolled at different universities participated in the study. Six of them studied at Afghan universities, and two studied abroad but perused their education from Afghanistan due to lockdowns. The data were collected through semistructured interviews and analysed using a thematic analysis method. The interview data showed that Afghan university students experienced many challenges and hardships in their education process when all educational institutions were closed once the coronavirus began spreading in the country and the world. Students expressed dissatisfaction due to many technical and practical issues that minimised the effectiveness of online learning. Most of these challenges stemmed from inadequate technological infrastructure, poor course delivery, unavailability of educational materials, poor communication, and other similar factors.