Khorugh State University - Academic Progress and Achievements

Academic Progress and Achievements

Since its establishment in 1992, the university has made considerable progress towards filling its faculty members and diversifying. It is notable, that if initially, the faculty consisted of one staff member holding a PhD (Russian: Доктор Наук) and 6 Master's Degree (Russian: Кандидат Наук), by its 15th anniversary in 2007, it had a staff of 10 PhD holders and 46 holders of Master's degrees, of which 24 were graduates of this university.

Being the only higher education institution and a place for academic work and research, KhSU attracted a lot of attention both from state and non-state actors. The Aga Khan Foundation played a key role in assisting the University in its early years with faculty, educational resources (financial and material), equipment, scholarship programs and partnerships with other universities in the region and around the world. This assistance included the creation of the English Language Department under the direction of a faculty member of Toronto University, Canada, Professor Chuck Elsey, who served as Head of the Department for three years (1995–1998). It was due to the contribution of AKF and the dedication of Chuck Elsey that a fully functioning Department of Foreign Languages was not only created but then turned into a national success. Graduates of this department enjoyed a high demand for their language skills in the local and national job markets, especially with international organizations. Many were able to obtain jobs without having professional experience due to their complete fluency in foreign languages.

  • Continuing Education Program

Continuing Education Program (CEP), was a joint faculty and student initiative to offer non-credit language and computer literacy courses for university students and the general public in Khorugh. Two Canadians, Chuck Elsey and Karima Kara, were the founders of the Program with local staff consisting of students from the Departments of Foreign Languages and Economics. Created in 1996, it was one of the greatest success stories of the University and its Department of Foreign Languages. After a year in operation, CEP managed not only to become financially sustainable, but also to generate enough income to expand its operations by hiring more staff, building new classrooms and purchasing new equipment. By the end of its second year of operation, it was fully staffed and managed by students.

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