A number of Kabul University students raised their concerns on Sunday and said in addition to a shortage of lecturers and professors, they also have very little purified drinking water and that hostel accommodation is overcrowded.

The students say that many professors have left the country and those who are now teaching do not all have the necessary qualifications and expertise.

“Our lessons are progressing very slowly and that’s why we fell one semester behind,” said Faisal Amarkhil, a student at Kabul University.

Power outages, a lack of safe drinking water and unsuitable accommodation are other problems the students raised adding that in many instances seven students share a three-bed hostel dormitory.

“Where we are, we live in a three-person room with more than seven people, and this is sad,” said Paiwand Patan, a student at Kabul University.

“It is very hot, there is no regular electricity, and our main problem is not having access to drinking water, which we have to bring from far away,” said Elham Stanikzai, a student at the university.

Kabul University officials say that the lack of professional staff is a legacy of the past government, but that they are trying to solve the other problems.

“The problem of professional professors also existed during the republic’s time, and after the changes and the professors’ travels abroad, this problem has become more sensitive; and there are electricity problems throughout the country, and due to the lack of space the number of students in the hostels is more than it should be, but these problems will be solved as soon as possible,” said Rahimullah Nadim, head of publications of Kabul University.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has repeatedly called for university lecturers and professors to return to home and help rebuild their country.

However the number of vacancies in this sector remains high.