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Recruitment of women faculty to staff a gender appropriate university in Afghanistan: an innovation study
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Recruitment of women faculty to staff a gender appropriate university in Afghanistan: an innovation study
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FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
i
RECRUITMENT OF WOMEN FACULTY TO STAFF A GENDER APPROPRIATE
UNIVERSITY IN AFGHANISTAN: AN INNOVATION STUDY
by
Azizullah Amir
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2017
Copyright 2017 Azizullah Amir
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
ii
Dedication
In the name of ALLAH, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate.
This dissertation is dedicated to the soul of my mother whose dreams were my today’s
achievements.
May she rest in the highest Paradise (Aameen)
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
iii
Acknowledgements
First of all, I express my deepest gratitude to the greatest man in my life, my father, Haji
Mohammad Amir Bagrami, for his unlimited prayers, unconditional love, unending support and
uncountable encouragements throughout my life. I have always been indebted to him and will
always be. I would also like to thank my stepmother for raising me with love and passion and
helping me achieve my successes.
My special thanks to my wonderful wife and my loving children for their patience,
understanding and support during my course; as I owe them the time and care I should have given
them. I thank my sweetest brother, Hekmat, and the rest of the family for their backing and support
whenever I have had the need. I cannot forget to thank my friends and colleagues who continuously
understood my engagements and accepted my excuses when I did not fulfill my responsibilities
against them.
I would like to present my heartfelt thanks to my dissertation chair, Dr. Shafiqa Ahmadi, for
providing me with her tremendous support, guidance, encouragement and time throughout the
course. She has always inspired me and made me feel strong. I thank Dr. Robert Filback and Dr.
Darnell Cole, my dissertation committee members, for their constructive feedback and sincere
efforts to make my research a success. I also present my appreciations to Abdul Latif Roshan, my
friend and my class fellow, for introducing me to this amazing Global Executive Doctor of
Education program and encouraging me to join.
My other professors, Dr. Mark Power Robinson, Dr. Cathy Krop, Dr. Helena Seli, DR.
Adlai Wertman, Dr. Kenneth Yates, Dr. Lawrence O. Picus, Dr. Tracy Tambascia, Dr. Lawrence
Picus, Dr. Monique Datta and Dr. Ruth Chung deserve to be thanked for teaching me new things
and have been the reason for the improvements in my views.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
iv
I see it needful to extend my appreciations to my great fellows at this course who have been
amazing friends. I should thank Peter Willson, in particular, for always being there for me when I
came with questions or concerns. Lastly, I would like to express my regards and prayers to all other
friends, colleagues, and family members who supported me in one way or another for who I don’t
think we have enough time to mention one by one.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
v
Table of Contents
Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
List of Tables vii
Chapter One: Introduction 1
Background of the Problem 1
Importance of Establishing Female Educational Centers 5
Organizational Context and Mission 6
Organizational Performance Status/Need 7
Organizational Performance Goal 7
Description of Stakeholder Groups 8
Stakeholder Group for the Study 10
Purpose of the Project and Questions 10
Conceptual and Methodological Framework 11
Organization of the Project 11
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 12
Women Rights in Afghanistan 12
Cultural Issues 12
Political and Social Context 13
Effects of War 13
Ethnographic and Geographic Status of Afghan Women 14
Ethnic Differences and Beliefs 14
Women in the Insecure Provinces 14
Education for Women in Afghanistan 15
Afghan Constitution 16
Education Law of Afghanistan 16
Shiite Personal Status Law 19
The Barriers 19
Female Faculty 20
Literacy Programs 22
Women Only Educational Centers 22
Primary, Secondary and Postsecondary Education 23
Religious Madrasas and Mosque Schools 23
New Educational Opportunities for Women 24
Educational System in Afghanistan 24
Figure 1. Afghan education system. 26
Knowledge and Skills 27
Self-Efficacy Theory 29
Expectancy-Value Theory 30
Organization 31
Chapter Three: Methodology 33
Purpose of the Project and Questions 33
Methodological Framework 34
Assumed Performance-Based Influences 34
Preliminary Scanning Data 34
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
vi
Participating Stakeholders 36
Data Collection 37
Surveys 37
Interviews 37
Validation of the Performance 38
Trustworthiness of Data 39
Role of Investigator 39
Data Analysis 40
Limitations and Delimitations 41
Chapter Four: Results And Findings 42
Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes 42
Survey Results 42
Results and Findings for Motivation Causes 46
Findings from Interviews 48
Results and Findings for Organization Causes 49
Survey Results 49
Findings from Interviews 50
Summary 53
Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations 54
Recommendations 56
Knowledge Causes 56
Motivation Causes 57
Organization Causes 58
Knowledge 59
Motivation 60
Organization 60
Conclusion 61
References 62
Appendix A: Survey Protocol 74
Appendix B: Interview Protocol 81
Appendix C: (KMO Tables) 82
Appendix D: Employee Handbook; Human Resources Policy Manual 97
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
vii
List of Tables
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals 9
Table 2: Validation of Assumed Causes 39
Table 3: Participants’ Responses on Finding Female Faculty 43
Table 4: Participants’ Responses Regarding Autonomy 47
Table 5: Participants’ Responses Regarding a Female-Only Environment 49
Running head: FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT 1
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Women in Afghanistan have been marginalized and underprivileged due to various cultural,
religious, political and economic constraints during the long-lasting war (Drumbl, 2004; Kandiyoti,
2007). Lack of education opportunities for all women is one of the most important challenges that
has caused women to fall behind in various areas including social, academic, political and
economic sectors (Yacoobi, 2008). Many women are confined to homes and are not allowed to
pursue the education. One of the components of failure in optimizing women’s education is a lack
of an appropriate teaching and learning environment for women (Ministry of Education of
Afghanistan, 2015). Based on Afghan culture, most of the families and particularly men do not
want the daughters, wives and sisters in their family to go to a co-education system. This situation
has contributed to low growth of knowledge economy of women and their low literacy rate of
24.2% (UNESCO, 2015; Andersen, 2007).
Background of the Problem
In the last three decades Afghanistan has been stricken by the devastating war and violence
(O'Loughlin, 2010). The continuous war and insecurity in the country has had a suppressing impact
on the Afghan nation, particularly on women and their access to their basic rights, including
education and health services (Kandiyoti, 2007). Education opportunities were negatively impacted
by the decades of civil war in which women have been the main victims (Mghir, 1999). The Afghan
Ministry of Education reported a zero-percent data point for women’s enrollment in educational
institutions 15 years ago. Despite this, from 2001-2003, the Back to School Campaign created by
the international community was successful in enrolling three million students of whom one million
were girls (Spink, 2005). Female enrollment is reported to have increased to 2.4 million later in
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
2
2010 (Ahmadi, 2014). A positive outcome of Back to School Campaign was that 25,000 female
teachers were hired.
Although the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan gives equal rights for men and women,
including the right to education (Olsson, 2009), there are factors that prevent equal access of
education for women. One reason is the lack of enough girls’ schools and lack of sufficient female
teachers to staff schools, which would be favorable to attracting female students (Guimbert, 2008).
Out of 398 districts in Afghanistan, 250 districts do not have a single female teacher (Lexow,
2012).
There are 36 public universities and higher education institutions in the country, 26 of which
were established after the new government in 2001 (Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan,
2016). Since then, based on the market economy policy and in alignment with 2004 Afghanistan
Constitution, private higher education institutions and universities were allowed to be established.
Currently, there are 120 private higher education institutions and universities across the country.
The total number of students studying in public universities in 2014 was 153,314 while students in
private institutions were 107,976. Among these, only around 20% were female (Ministry of Higher
education of Afghanistan, 2014).
This imbalance in the male/female ratio (4:1) shows that there are many girls who either do
not get a chance to pursue their education in schools or do not obtain admission in higher education.
This year, 350,000 students will be graduating from high schools that will take the Kankor, a
standardized exam comparable to the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) in the United States. SAT
is a standardized test in the United States that is used for admissions in the colleges and it is
developed to assess students’ readiness for college. The current admission capacity of public
universities is 58,310 while 60,540 students will be admitted to semi higher education institutions
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
3
such as vocational, technical, and other colleges (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015).
However, there is a growing demand for higher education every year in the country. According to
the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, by 2020, there will be 900,000 high school graduates.
According to Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan, lack of female dormitories has
been another progressive challenge against female enrollment in the higher education, as families
do not tend to send girls to universities in other provinces without proper and safe dormitory
facilities (Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan, 2014). Even though the number of female
graduates from schools is increasing, the percentage of female enrollment in higher education in the
last five years has reduced from 19.7 to 18.2% (Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan,
2014).
Culture and tradition is another reason that has contributed to these barriers. Through its
history, Afghanistan has been a socially traditional country where tribal powers and the dominance
of males have been prominent (Moghadam, 1994). Male dominance is the unquestioned authority
of men to control women in their families in most parts of the country (Ahmad-Gosh, 2013). The
same is true with women’s rights to get education; the ultimate decision is mostly with the men
whether to allow the women in their family to pursue education (Rostami, 2003). It is mainly the
cultural and religious barriers that have proved to be the preventing factors that prohibit women
from pursuing their education in the co-education system and/or male dominant educational
environment (Sitez, 2012).
Low level of educational opportunities for women and the resulting lack of education
among women have yielded in important unwanted consequences including an increase in mortality
rates of children under 5 years of age (Van, 2004). Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest
infant mortality rates of 151.9 per 1000 live births (Viswanathan, 2010). There is evidence that a
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
4
mother’s lack of education is associated with poor child health (Mashal, 2008), which can
contribute to having Afghanistan be the country with the third highest child mortality rate.
The war and internal conflict in Afghanistan seem to have created a vicious cycle, causing
illiteracy, hatred, and intolerance by the destruction of educational infrastructures and lack of access
to education, which in turn have contributed to social unrest and conflict (Spink, 2005).
Furthermore, after establishment of the new government with the support of the international
community in 2001 and spending of hundreds of millions of dollars by the United Nations and
other countries, Afghanistan’s education system still has shortcomings and weaknesses (Spink,
2005).
There has been a significant difference between male and female literacy rates in
Afghanistan with the latter being the most underprivileged and deprived from access to education
(Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015). There is also a remarkable difference in female
access to education by region. Some provinces have a very high rate of females’ participation in
schools compared to other provinces. Schools in Herat, a western province of Afghanistan, for
example, comprised of 50% female students in 2007, while Qandahar, a southwest province, had
only 10% (Olsson, 2009). In addition to differences in cultural and religious beliefs among different
provinces, lack of optimum security has been the important reason the incidents of battery acid
spray on girls’ faces in some of the provinces have been compelling factors that prevent girls from
pursuing education (Olsson, 2009).
There is also evidence to show that the people living in rural areas are less likely to be
educated compared to people in urban areas (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015; Olsson,
2009). The low level of education in the rural areas could be caused by security challenges, lower
socioeconomic status, cultural and religious extremism and discrimination in rural parts of the
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
5
country, which have resulted in rural areas to become the source of insurgents and terrorists
(Johnson, 2008). This reality can be attributed to the low rate of education and its quality in remote
areas because education can play a role in building the peace process and if delivered in quality, can
help the reconciliation (Spink, 2005).
Due to the ongoing security threats, lack of proper learning facilities, lack of professional
teachers, especially female teachers, there are five million school-aged children who do not have
access to education. In almost 50% of Afghanistan districts, there are no female students enrolled in
10-12 grades (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015). There has been severe shortage of
female teachers across the country where 245 out of 412 districts do not have even a single
qualified female teacher (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015). In higher education,
currently only 14% faculty across the country are female while the Ministry of Higher Education
aims to increase this to 20% by the year 2019 (Ministry of Higher Education, 2014).
The low quality of education is another major concern in Afghanistan. In addition to lack of
adequate usable buildings, there is a shortage of teaching and learning material, including
textbooks, and only 27% of teachers have the minimum qualification of grade 14 or above that is
required for becoming a teacher (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015).
Importance of Establishing Female Educational Centers
Education is not only a means for economic and political achievement but also a
fundamental human right that empowers individuals and brings prosperity of the person and the
society in general (Mehran, 1999). Education has a role in preventing violence and avoidance of
war by increasing public awareness and knowledge (Olsson, 2009). Considering Afghanistan’s
sensitive situation and cultural issues, it is crucial for all stakeholders and policy makers to create
an Afghan women friendly environment that can meet most of the requirements of Afghanistan
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
6
context that is establishment of separate educational facilities and providing opportunities for
female education.
Furthermore, as stated above, one of the important drawbacks in the female admission
process to educational and higher educational institutions in Afghanistan are a lack of enough
female teachers. In addition, lack of a supportive environment that can meet the educational needs
of Afghan women, addressing all cultural, religious, political and economic constraints that are
present in Afghanistan, is another major concern. Based on this evidence, the establishment of
educational opportunities that fulfill the requirements of the Afghan community and prevent the
creation of any opposition to women’s education will be important.
Organizational Context and Mission
Moraa Educational Complex (MEC) that was opened in March 2016 in Kabul includes a
kindergarten (Afghan Warhaktoon), a high school (Afghan Girls High School), midwifery school
(Afghan Women Institute of Health Sciences), university (Afghan Women University) and a
teaching hospital that provides services by women for women. This complex will be the first, the
biggest and the most unique “women for women” project of its kind in the history of Afghanistan
that will also be able to host around one thousand students in its hostel from all 34 provinces of
Afghanistan. The MEC will be the biggest female empowerment project of its kind in the world that
will provide educational and health services for women and become a comprehensive research
center in the future. To make it attractive, welcoming and acceptable to the conservative Afghan
families, every effort will be made to recruit only female staff in every sector of this center so that it
prevents any concerns of the families who do not want the girls in their families to be seen by men.
MEC is a private institution run by women for women, dedicated to meet the education and
career aspirations of Afghan women and girls in a supportive environment.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
7
The university has four colleges: medicine, business administration, computer sciences and
pedagogy. In the opening of the university, five qualified faculty members along with five teaching
assistants were needed for each college for the first year. However, the number of required faculty
members would increase as students progress to the next classes and more specialized subjects are
to be taught.
Organizational Performance Status/Need
The ultimate purpose of the MEC is to avail the opportunity for those female Afghani
students who are not allowed to pursue their education in a mixed environment. MEC is trying to
arrange its resources to create a women-only environment. Female staff, including administrators,
officers, cleaners, security guards, was recruited and a safe campus is created. However, the main
challenge that this dissertation intends to address is the finding, recruiting, hiring, training and
retaining of qualified female faculty. Due to the lack of the availability of qualified female faculty,
the university seeks to recruit male faculty with the goal of the transition within five years to an all-
female faculty.
Organizational Performance Goal
MEC’s goal is that by March 2021, 100% of faculty and staff will be female to create a
female-only campus that provides an educational environment empowering Afghan women. While
there are sufficient number of female candidates for the administrative and support staff positions in
Kabul, qualified female faculty availability and recruitment is a big challenge (Lexow, 2012). The
main objectives of the MEC, therefore, include finding, recruiting and retaining of female faculty.
MEC administration team is required to achieve this objective in a very competitive market where
there is high demand but low supply of female faculty. To perform a gap analysis of how can MEC
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
8
accomplish this innovation, it will be helpful to study MEC’s management and administration team
members to assess their knowledge, motivation, and organizational gaps.
Lack of qualified female faculty in Afghanistan is well documented in this dissertation.
Therefore, the management of the MEC is planning to train Afghan female faculty during the first
five years by expatriate faculty or/and national male faculty that will be recruited during the first
five years. The best available qualified existing female faculty will be selected and high achieving
students will be retained after graduation to work closely with qualified male or expatriate faculty
as teaching assistants. They will also benefit from specific teacher training workshops to help them
get ready to hand over the teaching responsibility from male and expatriate faculty.
Description of Stakeholder Groups
As for any university, faculty, students and staff are the main stakeholders of the MEC.
Faculty members, that are initially mostly male, will be contributing in generating and training
female faculty to qualify them to be future independent faculty members of MEC. The faculty will
design special training courses for potential female faculty of MEC. They will train the female
candidates in teaching methodology and build their capacity and skills by having them attend their
lectures.
The administrative staff will develop qualified female faculty locating, recruiting, hiring,
training and retaining strategies. The administrative staff will also provide a supportive and
encouraging environment for female faculty to attract the optimum number of female teachers. The
staff will need to facilitate the training and skill building opportunities for potential faculty that are
either inexperienced or unfamiliar with the new teaching systems.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
9
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
MEC is a private institution run by women for women dedicated to meet the education and
career aspirations of Afghan women and girls in a supportive environment.
Organizational Goal
By March 2021, MEC will have 100% female faculty and staff to create a female-only campus that
provides an educational environment empowering Afghan women.
Administrators
By March 2017,
administration of MEC
will create a recruitment,
training and retention
strategy for female
faculty.
Faculty
By March 2020, the
faculty will have
trained 100% of the
female faculty that is
required for the
university.
The founders and
Investors
By the end of 2019,
100% of the faculties
that will be hired by
the university will be
internationally
qualified.
Students
By the end of 2018,
all students at MEC
will have acquired
necessary skills and
knowledge of using
English language as
medium of
instruction and
learning.
The students’ role is also very crucial. Being a private institution, MEC will be dependent
on students’ fees. Recruitment of qualified faculty, particularly expatriates, will bear a high cost.
Students’ contribution by paying the allocated fees on time will enable the MEC to afford and
retain the qualified faculty. Students’ preparedness to proceed with English lectures taught by
expatriate faculties and students’ ability in using English textbooks are the other significant factors
that will contribute with the MEC to achieve its goal. To enable students to benefit from English
lectures and reference material, special preparation courses will be designed and implemented for
the new comers (Table 1).
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
10
Stakeholder Group for the Study
Establishment of the female-only academic environment at MEC will indeed require all
team efforts. Since MEC is just opened and male teachers are currently teaching, there is 100%
performance gap. Although the end user for this research is qualified female faculty, the
stakeholder of focus for this study will be top-level administration team of MEC who will be
responsible for finding, recruiting, hiring and retaining qualified female faculty. There are currently
13 staff members working as top management administrators of MEC. The administration team
members are not all female but it also includes some male members whose extensive experience is
required asset for MEC.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this study is to analyze the needs in the areas of knowledge, motivation, and
organizational resources that are required to achieve the MEC’s organizational goals. All needs
concerning the stakeholder to achieve the goal will be considered and analyzed. However, for
practicality reasons, this study will focus on analyzing the knowledge, motivation and
organizational features of MEC’s top management administrative team members.
It is important to understand what have been the main weaknesses and knowledge,
motivation and organizational (KMO) gaps among MEC administration members that may
negatively influence MEC’s ability to recruit and retain female faculty to achieve its goals. Three
questions guided this study:
1. How can the management team at MEC find and recruit qualified female faculty to help
create a female-only campus?
2. What knowledge, motivation and organization factors of the management team at MEC can
help to achieve the above objectives?
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
11
3. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs of the management team that
are required to achieve having the female-only environment and recruiting 100% of the
female staff and faculty by 2021?
Conceptual and Methodological Framework
The systematic and analytical method presented by Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis
will be adapted for need’s analysis to identify the 100% gap as the conceptual framework. The
KMO resources of administration team members of MEC will be assessed and related literature will
be used to implement the strategies in MEC. Using surveys and interviews with administration team
members, and literature review and other content analysis, research-based solutions will be
proposed.
Organization of the Project
This study is organized in five chapters. Chapter One presents the overall introduction to the
MEC, background of the problem, the MEC goal and mission, stakeholders and the adapted
concepts for gap analysis. Chapter Two will provide the literature review on women status and
education in Afghanistan. In Chapter Three, the methodology of the study will be explained and the
needs for this study will be justified. Chapter Four presents the data and discusses the results of the
study. The solutions and recommendations are provided in Chapter Five.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter reviews the literature on the effects of war and violence on women’s status,
cultural and political barriers, geographic and ethnic influences on women’s life, the educational
opportunities for women throughout the history of Afghanistan and the challenges women have
faced in the last four decades. The chapter also discusses the legal ground, statistics on female
students and faculty and as well as literacy programs for women in Afghanistan.
Women Rights in Afghanistan
Afghan women have remained victims of cultural behaviors and politics throughout the
history in Afghanistan (Druml, 2004). The patriarchal society has resulted in limitation of women’s
access to healthcare, education, workplace and justice (Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2015).
In addition to security concerns, there has been widespread discrimination against women across
Afghanistan (US Department of State, 2015). Continuous conflict and war impose threats on
political, social and economic rights of Afghan women (International Crisis Group, 2013).
Cultural Issues
There are always different interpretations of Afghan culture when explaining women rights
in Afghanistan (Ahmed, 2013). Afghan society has always remained a male dominant society. In
many parts of the country, women are confined to the house boundaries and this is considered as
honor for the family. Underage and forced marriages have been the most prevalent anti human
rights part of the tradition (Fontes, 2011). Women are given to the victim’s family or tribe in
compensation for a crime conducted by the girl’s family men (Human Rights Watch, 2011).
Approximately 60-80% marriages in Afghanistan have been forced marriages without the consent
of one of the spouses (Ahmadi, 2014; Tehrani, 2012). According to UNFPA Afghanistan survey,
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
13
15.2 % of women were married before the age of 15 while 46.4 % before the age of 18 (UNFPA,
2015).
Political and Social Context
Women rights have been one of the prominent political slogans of the different regimes
holding powers in Afghanistan (Hesford, 2005). All the different political parties have claimed their
commitment to women rights and support. Afghan law, based on Islamic (Shariah) law,
criminalizes rape and many other forms of violence against women (Ahmadi, 2014). Government
has taken some measures to empower women but due to the existence of a widespread corruption in
the government system, the implementation of rule of law has always remained the wish of most
Afghans (United States Institute of Peace, 2014). Though the government has made some efforts to
facilitate educational opportunities for its people, the cultural traditions prevented many girls from
going to schools (United Nations Human Rights Council, 2015).
Effects of War
The war and conflict in Afghanistan has ranked this country as a profound humanitarian
disaster of the current century. The continuing war also made Afghanistan in the top of the list of
countries having the highest number of displaced citizens in the world (Monsutti, 2016). The
highest price of war has been paid by women and children in Afghanistan (Bhutta, 2002). The
highest maternal mortality and neonatal mortality rates are among many of the examples that can be
named (Hill, 2007; Hogan, 2010, Carvalho, 2012). Afghanistan has experienced the highest
population based rate of landmine injuries and highest mortality (Andersson, 1995). Insecurities
caused mainly by war have still left more than 50% of girls out of school (Ahmadi, 2014).
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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Ethnographic and Geographic Status of Afghan Women
Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic country (Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Pashaee, Baloch,
Aimaaq, etc.) and its different ethnic groups have their particular values and perceptions regarding
women rights (Shahrani, 2002; Lieven, 2009). There have been varying level of resistance to
women’s education in different parts and different ethnicities across Afghanistan (Andersen, 2007).
Women are at more risk as they live in more remote areas of Afghanistan. For example, maternal
mortality ratio ranges from 418 (per 100 000 live births) in Kabul province (urban) to 6507 in Ragh
province (rural, the most remote) (Bartlett, 2005).
Ethnic Differences and Beliefs
There is a considerable difference among different ethnic groups, which has had a sensible
impact on civilization (Simonsen, 2004; Dupree, 2002). People with Pashtun ethnic background are
considered more conservative while Hazaras being more liberal in their beliefs (Shahrani, 2002).
Pashtuns that comprise the majority of the population of the country are mainly residing in the east,
south and southwestern areas of the country while Hazaras are mostly residents of the center
Afghanistan. Tajiks and Uzbeks who are mostly relatively liberal live in northeastern and northern
Afghanistan (Haber, 2012).
Women in the Insecure Provinces
Afghan society is mainly led by conservative leaders as well as threatened by warlords both
of which have direct effect on women educational, mental and physical security (Aolain, 2009).
Women have not only been victims of insurgents’ activities, they were also troubled by the military
actions of the international military groups operating in the insecure provinces of Afghanistan
(Fishstein, 2012). Women are imposed with different risks including sexual assault, discrimination
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
15
and body search by military forces and their air-scenting dogs (Fishstein, 2012). These security
threats are considered some of the important barriers that prevent girls from going to schools.
Education for Women in Afghanistan
Though the modern education in Afghanistan has a history of more than a century, the pace
of advances in education was not very fast during the decades of war in Afghanistan (Samady,
2013). However, the enrollment rate of female students in education system during the last decade,
after the intervention of international community led by the United States, is bold. The girls’
enrollment went up to approximately three million students (Ministry of Education, 2015).
Nonetheless, there are still around three million girls who have remained out of school (Ministry of
Education, 2015) due to different reasons explained above.
Women’s education efforts have been facing persistent resistance and barriers in war
affected Afghan community (Buridge, 2016). As Afghanistan has been amongst poorest countries,
the strikingly low literacy rate, particularly among women require more attention and inputs
(Andersen, 2007). The latest available data show that adult literacy rate in Afghanistan is 26%
where women comprise only 12% of the literate adult population (Ministry of Education, 2013).
Nevertheless, the women literacy rate in the urban and rural areas of the country is profoundly
ununiformed, where literacy rate among women in some of the remote provinces is as low as 1%
(Hanif, 2015).
The recent data on education of women in Afghanistan presents promising figures that show
satisfactory achievements (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2015). There were no girls going
to school during Taliban time while the current female enrollment in K-12 is as high as 37% that
accounts for 2.5 million girls (Ministry of Education, 2015). However, the graduation rate from
high schools for girls was 26% in 2014. The percentage of female students in public and private
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
16
institutions of higher education is however below 20% and 21% respectively. In 2014, the number
of female graduates from higher education did not exceed 1020 students (Ministry of Higher
Education, 2015).
Afghan Constitution
The Constitution of Afghanistan clearly holds the state responsible for fostering free
education opportunities throughout Afghanistan while insisting on women’s education in particular
(Constitution of Afghanistan, 2004). Article 17 of the Constitution states:
The state shall adopt necessary measures to foster education at all levels, develop religious
teachings, regulate and improve the conditions of mosques, religious schools as well as
religious centers. [Constitution of Afghanistan]
Article 43 of the Constitution writes:
Education is the right of all citizens of Afghanistan, which shall be offered up to the B.A.
level in the state educational institutes free of charge by the state. To expand balanced
education as well as to provide mandatory intermediate education throughout Afghanistan,
the state shall design and implement effective programs and prepare the ground for teaching
mother tongues in areas where they are spoken. [Constitution of Afghanistan]
Concerning women’s education, Article 44 of the Constitution of Afghanistan emphasizes as
follows (Ahmadi, 2014):
The state shall devise and implement effective programs to create and foster balanced
education for women, improve education of nomads as well as eliminate illiteracy in the
country (Constitution of Afghanistan, 2004).
Education Law of Afghanistan
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According to Article Two of the Education Law of Afghanistan, the following are the
objectives (Education Law, 2008):
1- Ensure equal rights of education and training for the citizens of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan through promotion and development of universal, balanced and equitable
educational manner.
2- Strengthen Islamic spirit, patriotism, national unity, preservation of independence, and
defense of territorial integrity, protection of interest, national pride, and loyalty to the
republic system of Afghanistan.
3- Educate children, youth and adolescents as pious, Afghans and useful and sound
members of the Society.
4- Develop and improve moral, sentimental, mental, physical nurturing capacities and
sociable spirit of the students.
5- Strengthen the spirit of respect to human rights, protection of the women rights,
democracy and elimination of every kind of discrimination, in light of the Islamic values
and prevention of adduction to narcotics.
6- Strengthen the spirit of individual, social responsibilities and observance of law by
teachers, lecturers, Modrasan, and the rest of the employees of the Ministry of Education.
7- Provide opportunity for the participation of the students’ parents/ guardians and other
members of the society in the management affairs, and obtaining the moral and financial
cooperation for the promotion and development of education.
8- Educate and train citizens by active participation to promote economy and social affairs
in reduction of poverty in the country.
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9- Ensure intermediate (basic) compulsory education and to provide grounds for secondary
education, in accordance with the requirements of the society.
10- Ensure and Develop pre- school education in accordance with the needs of the country’s
children.
11-Ensure and develop teacher’s training education, Islamic education, technical -
professional, vocational and artistic education in the country.
12- Eliminate illiteracy and provide grounds for accelerated learning for the children and
adults who are left behind from the school in the country.
13- Develop and improve the quality of education by applying modern experiences of the
contemporary world, in accordance with the country’s needs, Islamic and national values.
14-Promote and improve academic and professional level of teachers, lecturers, Modrasan,
directors, and the rest of the employees of the Ministry of Education.
15- Develop unified educational curriculum, in accordance with the contemporary and up to
date standards.
16- Establish, expand, promote, build, repair and mobilize schools, Madrasas and other
educational institutions of the Ministry of Education.
Article Three of the Education Law emphasizes:
The citizens of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan have equal rights to education without
any kind of discrimination.
Article Four ensures free and compulsory education as below:
1 - The intermediate (basic) education in Afghanistan is compulsory.
2 - Pre- school educational level, intermediate (basic) education, secondary, technical-
professional, vocational, artistic, formal Islamic education, higher education, (Thirteenth
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and fourteenth grades) teachers’ training, literacy and basic practical education in the public
educational and training institutions are provided for free (Education Law, 2008).
Shiite Personal Status Law
Afghan Shiites constitute 20% of the population of Afghanistan. Afghan Shiite Personal
Status Law was approved by Afghan Parliament and signed by Afghan President in 2009 (Shiite
Personal Status Law, 2009). This law raised protests by many women rights activists in
Afghanistan and across the world (Gholam, 2009). The following three articles are particularly
protested:
1. Article 132 states: “…It is the duty of the wife to defer to her husband's inclination for sexual
enjoyment.”
2. Article 132 also states: “If a man demands his wife to apply makeup on behalf of the man,
she is obliged to do so…”
3. Article 133, section 2, states: “If a wife has employment before marriage and continuation of
the job is conditioned at the time of the marriage contract, in this situation the husband
cannot oppose the wife's employment after marriage, unless such employment is against the
interest of the family or one of the spouses” (Gholam, 2009).
The Barriers
Insecurity, cultural boundaries, religious misconceptions, illiteracy, social injustice and
sexual discriminations are considered some of the barriers that Afghan women are facing when
seeking education (Moghadam, 1994; Ahmed, 2013; Guimbert, 2008; Drumbl, 2004; Rostami,
2003; Hsu, 2016). Poverty, gender bias and lack of female teachers especially in the rural areas are
other barriers for girls’ education (Hsu, 2016). Girls, in the poor families are made to work in farms
or do the household work. In the rural areas, the regional leaders frequently impose pressures to
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prevent girls from going to school once they reach puberty when parents also do not want their
daughters to be taught by men (Kissane, 2012).
Schools are often the target of insurgents and at high risk to be burned or bombed. There are
always threat of sexual abuse and kidnap when girls are their way to school (Human Rights Watch,
2015). Lack of the sufficient teaching material, lack of appropriate school buildings, lack of
sanitation facilities, lack of transportation facilities, distance to schools and poorly trained teachers
are other precipitating factors that negatively affect girls’ attendance at schools (Burde & Linden,
2013; Jackson, 2011). As some families receive money in the form of dowry when their daughters
marry, early marriages are common in Afghanistan that has in turn resulted in premature
discontinuation of the girls’ education (Burde & Linden, 2013).
The presence of corruption and inefficient use of money allocated for education have caused
poor quality education and inappropriate schools management across the country. The majority of
foreign aid and donor organizations money is said to be spent on very high salaries in the donors’
countries and unnecessary luxury parties, events and home rents, etc. (Hsu, 2016). According to a
report by Matthew J. Nasuti, 83% of the United States aid money has never reached its
beneficiaries (Nasuti, 2009).
Female Faculty
The available data shows that the recruitment and retention of the female faculty has its
particular issues across the world. Even in countries where the availability of female faculty is not a
challenge, women are less likely to be hired compared to their men counterparts (August, 2004;
Moss-Racusin, 2012) and considered less competent (Moss-Racusin, 2012). Women are also
usually recruited in lower positions in comparison to the men (Shen, 2009; Harper, 2001; Leslie,
1998). Women tend to receive lower salaries than men (Ceci, 2011; Perna, 2001) and, in the
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meantime, they are less likely to benefit from promotions in their jobs (Ibarra, 2010; Bain, 2000;
Fang, 2000; Buckley, 2000). For example, in the United States, the level of job satisfaction of the
male faculty members is three times more than female counterparts when it comes to promotion
opportunities (Sabharwal, 2009).
Retention of female faculty is considered as a challenging issue in many higher education
institutions and is directly associated with career satisfaction, which depends on job climate and
environmental conditions (August, 2004). Gender based differences in salaries is negatively
associated with female faculty satisfaction (Card, 2012; Hagedorn, 1996).
In addition, lack of work autonomy can also reduce job satisfaction (August, 2004). Other
factors that can influence job satisfaction include workload and social and managerial support
(Tumkaya, 2006). Therefore, retention of female faculty will be as difficult as finding and
recruiting them (August, 2004). Responsibilities at home for women is considered as another
precipitating cause in making female faculty more vulnerable and susceptible to leaving their jobs
(Madina, 2009; Sullivan, 1997).
Due to long standing marginalization of women and lack of appropriate educational
opportunities throughout the history, Afghan education system has always been struggling with the
availability of female faculty (Abdulbaqi, 2009; Mohammad, 2015; Samady, 2013; Tierney, 2006).
Female teachers constitute 30% of the total number of teachers in K-12 educational system of
Afghanistan that reaches to around 182,000 teachers of whom only 30% have postsecondary
degrees. This low level of teacher qualification has raised a serious concern regarding the quality of
education even for those who do have access to schools (Samady, 2013). There is more shortage of
female faculty in higher education where female faculty members in public and private universities
are 14% and 8% respectively (Ministry of Higher Education, 2014).
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Literacy Programs
Afghanistan is listed among top of the countries with the lowest literacy rates (UNESCO,
2015). According to the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, more than eight million Afghans are
illiterate (Ministry of Education of Afghanistan, 2014). As per education law of Afghanistan,
literacy training to all public and private workers is mandatory. Afghan ministry of education has
launched literacy programs that provide literacy trainings every year to almost 300,000 to 400,000
Afghans, 60% of whom are women (Caldwell, 2011). More than four million Afghans have become
literate during last decade through these programs. Literacy rate has improved from 20% to 32% for
female aged 15 to 24 (Ministry of Education, 2015). The number of literacy for female students
went up from 15,821 in 2002 to 332,154 in 2013 (Ministry of Education, 2015).
Women-Only Educational Centers
After collapse of Taliban regime, the interest of many stakeholders has been noticed in
supporting educational institutions that provide education for female students (Kandiyoti, 2007;
Guimbert, 2008). As stated earlier, Afghanistan is probably the most conservative country where
coeducation is not largely accepted due to the cultural and religious sensitivities and preferences
(Hirschkind, 2002). Even though there are currently 2,478 public schools dedicated for girls
(Ministry of Education, 2014), their number is not high enough to satisfy market demand (Kosha,
2014) while for the higher education, no women-only institution except for the one under the focus
of this study, exists across the country. This has resulted in many girls having remained out of
education system and their educational requirements are not fulfilled (Hsu, 2016). While billions of
dollars have been available to Afghanistan, no women-only university has been established
(Ministry of Higher Education, 2015) during last decade, which has been called the decade of
opportunities for Afghanistan.
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In addition to the existence of cultural and religious preferences and needs for establishment
of the women-only educational centers in Afghanistan, there is evidence that students in a single
sex educational setting can enjoy more open and friendly conversations with their fellows and
faculty (Hubbard, 2005).
Primary, Secondary and Postsecondary Education
There is a linear correlation in female students’ enrollment in educational system becoming
lesser as they proceed to the higher classes (Moghadam, 1994; Ministry of Education of
Afghanistan, 2015). This shows both considerable dropouts as well as higher resistance against
girls’ enrollment as they become adolescents and older (Kissane, 2012; Ministry of Education,
2014). As an example, the numbers of female students enrolled in public and private schools across
Afghanistan having the age of 8, 13 and 17 years are 441,759; 241,027; and 115,954, respectively
(Ministry of Education, 2014). In almost 50% of the 412 existing districts of Afghanistan, no girl is
enrolled in class 10 to 12 in the high school (Ayobi, 2010).
Religious Madrasas and Mosque Schools
The religious Madrasas are religious schools that teach religious studies and are mainly built
for male students while the conservative scholars do not oppose female Madrasas as well (Anzar,
2003). The numbers of female Madrasas are not very remarkable. However, mosque schools have
proven to be helpful and have had positive implications to the female literacy and education as
female children learn reading at the mosques, particularly in the rural areas (Ayobi, 2010). As a
start for the academic step, mosque schools are effective learning facilities as they are trusted by
parents and available in nearly every village of the country (Burde, 2015). In addition, as in
anywhere else, informal educational programs have existed in Afghanistan prior to the emergence
of formal education (Yazdani, 2008).
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New Educational Opportunities for Women
After a long tragedy of armed conflict and trajectories of access to education in Afghanistan,
new era of hope has emerged by establishment of new schools for female students (Asia
Foundation, 2009). There have been considerable advocacy and political support to improve
women education in Afghanistan. The overall strategy of the government and the donor
organization is mainly to focus on women empowerment. The current political and social vision
towards education seems to be supportive.
The recent launch of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded
project (Promote) that has committed 216 million dollars to fund women empowerment in
Afghanistan is the largest women project of its kind in the history of the government of the United
States. The project will have four main components: women’s leadership development, women in
government, women in economy, and women’s rights group and coalition (USAID, 2016). This
program is aimed to empower 75,000 women aged 18-30 to become future business, political and
civil society leaders. This project will develop women expertise and generate more quality female
faculty. One of the challenges seems to be the quality of the female faculty and their expertise in
teaching. This can be a cause for the low rate of female faculty recruitment compared to male
faculty (August, 2004).
Educational System in Afghanistan
The education system in Afghanistan has experienced different fluctuations in the history
and there have been various community reactions to the systems enforced by the governments. The
basic or elementary education has a history longer than a century. The major part of the elementary
education initially was provided by mosques and it continues to the present in many rural areas of
the country. The elementary education has been in a coeducation system and mainly includes
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children aged 6 through 12 (grade 1 to 6) (Figure 1). The secondary education system is single sex,
which means girls and boys study in different schools that covers students from age 12 to 18
(Tierney, 2006; Chauhan, 2015). The primary and secondary education is compulsory by law for
both male and female (Education Law, 2008).
The first university in Afghanistan, Kabul University, was founded in 1932 (Chauhan,
2015). This university and other universities that were opened afterwards were providing higher
education only to male students until 1961 when, for the first time, women were allowed to enter
the higher education institutions and the co-education system was in place (Chauhan, 2015). Since
1961 until present, the higher education system is operating on the basis of co-education and there
is no single sex university especially for women in the whole country (Romanowski, 2007). MEC
will be the first women-only higher education entity that will provide higher education opportunity
for girls that are not allowed to go to coeducation universities.
After the high school, students take a matriculation exam (Kankor exam) to enter higher
education at a college or university. The colleges and universities provide a 4-year bachelor’s
degrees, 7-year medical degrees and 2-year diploma programs in pedagogy, allied health sciences
and vocational trainings (Chauhan, 2015). In recent years, the Afghan education system has been
able to start master’s degree programs both in public and private universities and doctoral programs
in Kabul Public University. The students from religious Madrasas after grade 12, who are only
male, can also enter the higher education system and continue their bachelor programs at the higher
education institutions (Figure 1).
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Figure 1. Afghan education system.
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Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences
Stakeholder’s KMO influences are assessed in this section of the chapter. The KMO
influences are the important factors for analysis of performance gaps in an organization (Clark &
Estes, 2008). The female faculty recruitment related KMO causes/assets/needs would be examined
using the reviewed literature. The managing administrative staffs who are the focus of this
dissertation, have the key role in female faculty finding, recruiting, hiring and retaining. Their
KMO capabilities will have a significant impact on recruitment of qualified female faculty and
success of the project in general.
Knowledge and Skills
Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) classify knowledge in to four types: factual, conceptual,
procedural and metacognitive. The factual knowledge is defined as knowing facts and definitions.
The conceptual knowledge is the science of relationships, processes and categories while
procedural knowledge talks about strategies and “how to” steps. The knowledge about one’s goals,
monitoring and evaluation, thinking, planning and problem solving is considered as metacognitive
knowledge. Based on this classification, the knowledge gaps of the management team of the MEC
will be identified and assessed accordingly.
Factual knowledge. Management should have the factual knowledge about statistics of
female faculty in Afghanistan, their salary ranges, degrees, expatriates, accommodation
requirement, security issues and their residence requirements. However, there is clear evidence that
there is a huge gap in the availability of female faculty and teachers in Afghanistan (Ministry of
Education of Afghanistan, 2014). The MEC management team seems to lack the knowledge of
availability of female faculty in Afghanistan, their numbers, qualifications and the related statistics.
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Conceptual knowledge. The management needs the conceptual knowledge about the
importance of the faculty level of qualification and its relationship with learning output and that
how much satisfaction it will create among students and parents. In other words, the administration
team members need to know that the qualification of the faculty will have direct impact on the
students and parents’ satisfaction. They also need to know the female faculty recruitment process
and how to implement the recruitment. All team members of administration at MEC do not believe
that female faculty recruitment is associated with clients’ satisfaction or if it will affect the demand
for this educational complex.
Procedural knowledge. The management team at MEC is required to know what are the
crucial procedural steps for the recruitment. They need to know how are the female faculty
approached, interviewed, recruited and what is being done with their transportation, food, and
accommodation arrangements. Administrators at MEC do not have the experience of working at a
female-only educational center, and they have not recruited female faculty before they joined MEC.
However, some of them have worked in the human resource departments of government and non-
government organizations. MEC’s administrators will need to know the recruitment procedures and
requirements that female faculty recruitment will have.
Metacognitive knowledge. For the management of the MEC, it may be vital to consider the
importance of finding qualified female faculty and monitoring the faculty recruitment process.
Their reflection on the creation of a women-only educational environment will be important to
enable them to achieve the organizational goal. During implementation of the objectives of an
organization, monitoring and evaluation, and reflecting on the progress are necessary steps for
achieving the organizational goals (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). The administration of MEC will
need to know that female faculty finding and recruitment is not a simple process and will therefore
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require vigorous efforts and arrangements taking the very small supply demand ratio of female
faculty in Afghanistan in to consideration.
Motivation
Motivation is defined as a process through which a particular activity to achieve a goal is
initiated and maintained (Pintrich, 2003). Motivation gets people to go and keep moving. It also
determines how much effort should be spent on a particular task (Clark & Estes, 2008). Two types
of motivation have been explained: intrinsic and extrinsic. The extrinsic motivation occurs in
return of a reward or avoidance of a punishment while intrinsic motivation happens when there is
an internal desire for doing a task and one does it for his or her own sake.
There are three different indicators for motivation: active choice, persistence and the mental
effort. Active choice is referred to replacement of an intention for achieving a goal to an action.
Persistence means to keep going and continue against a distraction once we start a task. When
people use their mental ability, and think smarter to create solutions, they are making mental effort.
If people are not motivated, they will not start, persist and will not bother to exert mental effort on
the given task. For example, demotivation can increase dropouts among students (Bridgeland,
DiIulio, & Morison, 2006).
The administration of MEC should have enough motivation for creating and maintaining the
women-only environment to achieve the goal of Afghan women education. The team should be
encouraged to work on developing a clear policy for finding and recruiting female faculty.
Self-Efficacy Theory
Self-efficacy is the people’s perception and beliefs about their capabilities to perform the
required actions and the ability to achieve a designated goal (Bandura, 1986). Self-efficacy has a
positive linear correlation to indicators of motivation that is, choice, persistence and mental efforts.
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People with a higher self-efficacy tend to exert more mental efforts and persist in their activity
towards achieving their goals (Rueda, 2011). However, it should also be noticed that mental effort
is dependent on our adequate confidence where over confidence or under confidence results in
using lesser mental effort and thus low motivation (Clark & Estes, 2008). Overconfidence causes
people to invest little effort as they feel they already know what they are doing and this is therefore
considered a concern in information literacy (Ross et al., 2011). The self-efficacy among MEC
management team members seem to be an issue as some of the leaders believe that it is too hard for
them to find qualified female faculty who can teach at MEC and maintain their cooperation with it
due to the low salary range at MEC. In addition, it may be difficult to convince the female faculty
to accept the terms and conditions of MEC. However, there are some members of the management
team who seem to be overconfident whereas some believe their role in decision-making is not very
dominant and the decisions will be taken anyway whether they agree or not (Appendix C).
Expectancy-Value Theory
Goal achievement and success is associated with the level of value people allocate for a
task. Expectancy-value theory responds to the question that why should one do a task (Rueda,
2011). Believing that an activity has a value influences its initiation while expectancy for a positive
outcome encourages persistence at the given activity. There seems to be a need for motivating the
MEC administration team by indicating the value of women for women concept on the country
level (Appendix C). They should be convinced that it is valuable and worth hard working to make
the campus run solely by women. They may make tireless efforts once they consider the goal
valuable for the future of the organization and the country. To recruit and then retain the female
faculty by persistence to the cause, the management team needs to have expectancy for success of
this concept. A number of team members are not motivated by not seeing very much value in
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faculties to be all females. They believe that male or female faculty will not make any difference
for our clients’ satisfaction the quality of our work.
Organization
The role of organizational influences and cultural settings are evident in achieving the
ultimate goal within an organization. Lack of appropriate organizational processes and adequate
resources is the third cause for the gaps that can negatively influence the success in the workplace
(Clark & Estes, 2008). Organization model and organization settings play an important role in
success or failure of the organization (Rueda, 2011). The organization cultural profile answers the
questions such as why our organization is different from others, what is the most valuable aspect of
it, who makes the most important decisions, how are the decisions made and how are the jobs done
differently (Clark & Estes, 2008).
The cultural model in MEC seems to be of different polarities, which means that there are
generally two cultural models. The first is represented by some management members for whom
co-education is a normal phenomenon and do not believe in separate education. They have grown
up with a different cultural values and beliefs. While the second group are more conservative and
stick to their cultural values (Appendix C). The organizational cultural model is therefore affected
by these two different mentalities. The cultural setting needs to be assessed to ensure that it is
aligned with organizational goals and values.
It is worth noticing that due to cultural and religious sensitivities and barriers, interaction
with females in Afghanistan is not very easy. This fact could be an obstacle for the current
administration team to reach potential candidates whom would be appropriate and eligible to be
recruited by MEC. This problem is a cultural challenge. Female faculty’s transportation and
accommodation seem to be another challenge because of security, religious and cultural issues and
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as well as the high financial burden that it will create on MEC (Appendix C). The MEC does not
have a written policy on the salary scale for female faculty and the administration team cannot
justify a specific salary for different fields of expertise. Due to cultural and security constraints, it is
very hard for women to work in every profession such as mining, engineering, military and driving
while there are many women working in health and education areas. It is therefore anticipated that
in some specialties of teaching there will be more female faculty available compared to others.
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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Research questions for this dissertation are presented in the chapter. This chapter discusses
the research methodology used to collect the required data from the stakeholder under focus (the
administrative staff of MEC). The assumed KMO causes/needs that were explored during the
research are explained below. The data collection methods and tools are also discussed and
justified.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a gap analysis to create a female-only
environment at Afghan Women University (MEC) by finding and recruiting qualified female
faculty. The gap analysis examined KMO gaps that created obstacles to achieving the
organizational goals. The following questions guided this project:
1. How can the management team at MEC find and recruit female qualified faculty to help the
creation of female-only campus?
2. What knowledge, motivation and organization factors of the management team at MEC can
help to achieve the above objectives?
3. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs of the management team that
are required to achieve having the female-only environment and recruiting 100% of the
female staff and faculty by 2021?
This chapter provides a general overview of the research methodology that was used for
collecting the data for this research. The overall methodology framework is explained. The assumed
KMO influences are explained. The chapter will also justify the selection of the participating
stakeholders who were the focus of this research. Validation of the performance, role of
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investigator and the limitations and delimitations will be discussed. It will also be clarified how the
trustworthiness of the data will be insured.
Methodological Framework
As per Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis model, organizational goals and the actual
current performance was defined. The 100% gap that existed between the actual performance level
and the organizational goals is analyzed based on the above model to hypothesize the possible
KMO causes for the existing gap. Based on the Clark and Estes gap analysis model, the KMO
causes for the existing gaps were found and analyzed before jumping to solutions. The assumed
causes were then validated and prioritized after which the appropriate solutions were developed and
implemented and the outcomes were evaluated (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Assumed Performance-Based Influences
The main causes of performance problems are often assumed rather than identified through
systematic inquiry, and when these causes are not validated people may develop erroneous
solutions. Jumping to solutions without appropriate validation of the causes usually results in
implementation of incorrect solutions. Therefore, an appropriate cause analysis should include three
main components: (a) scanning (informal) interviews with stakeholders; (b) learning, motivation,
and organization/culture theory; and (c) a review of related literature on female faculty in
Afghanistan. The literature related to the problem statement was discussed in chapter two but it is
also examined in the tables at the end of this chapter.
Preliminary Scanning Data
After formal interviews with the administration team at MEC and observations of their
current performance, the following information was revealed. This information discusses the
assumed KMO causes for the challenges against female faculty recruitment at MEC.
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Knowledge and skills. The management team at MEC appeared to lack the knowledge of
availability of female faculty in Afghanistan and the related statistics such as: how many qualified
faculty are in the country, the location of the faculty pool, the qualifications of the available female
faculty, and the expected salary range. Only a few of the management team members of the
university realized the fact that female faculty recruitment was crucial for creating a successful
environment for achieving the organization goal. However, they lacked the required knowledge
about how to find the eligible faculty who are qualified, affordable and interested in working at the
higher education sector of MEC. To achieve the sustainability and organizational goal, faculty
(particularly expatriate and male) needed to have the required knowledge to perform professional
development training of the other female faculty, and select amongst the existing high achieving
students to generate and train the potential faculty for the future. In addition, there was extensive
diversity in the ability of computer and smart phone use among the management team members.
There were members of the team who could not use computers at all.
Motivation. There was a sense of undermining others’ capabilities in the team as there were
incidents of complaints that showed some of the staff acted selfish and did not respect others’ work
and achievements. Some members believed that whether they agreed or not with a particular
decision, it would be made anyways. Team members believed in productivity of the teamwork,
however there were some members who considered themselves the key figures in the project. Some
of the team members seemed to lack the confidence that their input was important for the project
and believed that the decisions would be made whether they agreed or not. There were some team
members who usually complained that their work credits were given to others while they were not
only doing their own task, but also supporting other team members achieve their goals. There
seemed to be ununiformed motivation regarding creating female-only faculty departments, as they
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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did not see a critical value in doing so. This lack of the harmony was the result of the fact that some
of the team members believed that having male faculty would not be opposed by our students and
the community while others argued that the presence of any male staff whether faculty or others
would have negative impact on the reputation of the complex and this would be against the
project’s vision that supports the women for women concept. The culture of negativism was a
widespread challenge in the organization. Most of the team members did not see the positive
aspects of the work their colleagues did and they always searched for negative points.
Organization. The MEC lacked a policy base on which it could unify the organization’s
culture regarding female faculty recruitment because the team had been divided into two groups,
opponents and proponents of the female-only concept. The majority of the management team
members were female. According to the projects’ policy of establishing a women-only campus, the
male members of the management team could not have an office in the university campus and
therefore needed to operate from the distance. This lack of on-campus offices for the management
team was a significant challenge. There was also a shortage of funding to include more expert
administrators in the management team who require high salaries, particularly if they were selected
among women.
Participating Stakeholders
The participating stakeholders for this research were all administration team members who
were managing the MEC and were directly involved with finding, recruiting, hiring and retaining
process of the female faculty. The administration team under study had 13 members on board. Out
of 13 administrators, 12 were females and only one was male. Almost all team members had
bachelor degrees while a few held master’s degrees. The management team members were mostly
between the ages 22 to 45 years.
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Data Collection
The required permission from University of Southern California’s Institutional Review
Board (IRB) was obtained. After receiving the IRB approval, the data for this research was
collected using surveys and interviews.
Surveys
The survey preceded the interviews, the data of which was helpful in shaping the interview
questions so that it was ensured that the information was not missed. The survey was emailed to the
administration team members who could use computers for the participants ease to complete the
survey during their free time. The hard copy of the survey was given to those who could not use
computers. One of the positive points about this method of data collection for this particular
research was the privacy it affords respondents. This approach was less intimidating for the
administration team when participating in research carried out by their supervisor. For the surveys,
the data collection tools were questionnaires that elicited the information about knowledge,
motivation and organization related gaps in the administrators’ performance. Though surveys
complemented the other method of data collection, they had some advantages like they were easy to
be administered, relatively cost effective, less time consuming, collection of broad range of data,
less chance of errors and including numerous questions in the tool. The acquired data was coded to
classify information related to KMO.
Interviews
The conversation between a researcher and a participant that is focused on questions
regarding research queries is called interview (DeMarrais, 2004). Merriam (2009) suggests that
interviews are useful technique in qualitative research where they can give us information about
people’s feelings, thoughts, and interpretations of their views or the events that cannot be
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replicated. Interviews are also inexpensive. All administration team members of MEC were
interviewed. Through interviews, the insights and views of the participants were elicited. Interviews
could capture the perspectives of the administration team and there was already an established
interpersonal contact between the researcher and the interviewees. Face-to-face interviews were
conducted after the survey data was collected. The interviews were conducted in a quiet and
comfortable place with no distraction or noise. Consent was taken from participants in advance and
they were requested to sign the consent form. The interviews were audio recorded after taking prior
permission from the participants and transcribed accordingly. Notes were taken during interviews
to help the security of the data.
For the security of the data, all collected data were stored in a password-protected computer
and an additional external hard disk, which along with data related paper documents were kept in a
locked safe. The collected data was then evaluated and analyzed.
Validation of the Performance
The researcher used different data collection methods to triangulate and validate the data.
Face-to-face interviews and surveys were conducted to ensure validity. Short and concise questions
were prepared to develop survey questionnaires. Interviews gave participants an opportunity to
share their views and thoughts that they could not express in the survey questionnaires. The
following table gives a clear picture of how the assumed knowledge; motivation and organizational
issues/needs/assets were validated for this research:
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Table 2
Validation of Assumed Causes
Research Question Interviews Survey
How can the management team at MEC find and recruit female
qualified faculty to help the creation of female-only campus?
X X
What knowledge, motivation and organization factors of the
management team at MEC can help to achieve the above
objectives?
X X
What are the knowledge, motivation and organization gaps of the
management team at MEC?
X X
What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs that
are required to achieve having the female-only environment and
recruiting 100% of the female staff and faculty by 2021?
X X
Trustworthiness of Data
Triangulation of the data to ensure that different methods lead to same results happened.
Through triangulation, validation of data can be achieved as it can cross verify the obtained data
from different sources or different data collection methods. The data for this research was
triangulated between interviews and surveys. The instruments used for the survey were valid and
reliable (Clark & Estes, 2008). The confidentiality was ensured and the data was anonymous.
Role of Investigator
I was the founder and the president of MEC. I carried the overall responsibility of the MEC
and oversaw all students and staff in the complex. My role as the head of the project was to fund,
manage, and make efforts to enable the whole team to achieve the organizational goals. I was
responsible to ensuring the security and safety of students and staff, sustainability and quality of the
program, resolution of the staff and students conflicts, building trust among clients and community,
and finally enforcing the women-only environment at MEC. Having been the principal investigator
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for this research, I conducted a gap analysis of the project for not being able to have qualified
female faculty and to find the right ways through which we could establish the women for women
campus by recruiting the female faculty. This lack of female faculty was the most challenging part
of the project. It was explained to the participants that finding the real gaps would definitely help
MEC to find the appropriate solutions to finding and recruiting the female faculty for MEC.
All administrative staff members who were the potential sample of this project were
informed about my role as the principal investigator of this research and that this research was
conducted to level the ground for successfully implementing the innovation of creating women for
women university. To reduce the tension on the staff, the anonymity of the participating staff was
ensured in the dissertation itself and the survey by respecting confidentiality and using
pseudonyms. To minimize the possible pressure on the participants, it was clarified for them that
their participation would have no negative consequences on their job security. To emphasize the
autonomy of the participants and prevent any potential bias generated by the researcher’s authority,
the interviews were conducted by a third person. The consent from the staff was acquired by one of
the team members to provide more freedom to the staff in their decision to participate. No personal
identification of the participants was used and instead, coding was applied to survey instruments.
All data, identity and the collected information were kept confidential. The participants were
informed that the researcher was the only authority that would make the decision on how the results
of the research would be used.
Data Analysis
Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted once all survey results were submitted. As it
was estimated that the sample for this research would be fewer than 20, the survey results were
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examined for frequencies. Interview results were transcribed, and coded into themes that mesh with
the knowledge, motivation and organization categories (Clark & Estes; Merriam, 2009).
Limitations and Delimitations
Results from the design of this project had some limitations. Honesty and social desirability
bias may have resulted from participant’s lack of true representation of their experience by
providing answers they believed were socially desirable. Interviews, survey and observation
contexts were similarly impacted. Secondly, the participants’ responses may have been impacted by
the investigator’s role as the president of the MEC. Lastly, any statistical analyses were based on a
correlational, not a causational relationship.
The focus of this project was to innovate an environment where all staff and students would
be female. The primary delimitation of the project was that it was context specific to only MEC
and addressed this specific organization’s mission and organizational goal. Generalization was
limited; however, other institutions may benefit from the application of this project’s use of Clark
and Estes (2008) gap analysis process to bring about performance improvement.
The project was also delimited to examining one key stakeholder group’s experience that
was most likely not representative of that of other stakeholder groups. While other stakeholder
groups’ experiences and contributions were important to the organization, an in-depth investigation
of those lied outside the scope of the current project.
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CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to identify the needs of administrative staff of MEC to be able
to find, recruit, hire and retain qualified female faculty. Using the surveys and interviews the study
analyzed the knowledge, motivation and organization needs of the MEC management. The surveys
were sent to 13 administrative staff of MEC in November 2016 and all participants responded.
All13 staff members were interviewed in December 2016. The participants were the top
management and administrative staff most of whom have less than three years of administrative
experience. This chapter presents the results obtained from surveys and interviews conducted with
the administrative staff of MEC.
Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes
Survey Results
This section reports the results related to knowledge level of the respondents. More than
80% of the respondents believed that the 20% of the higher education graduates in Afghanistan are
female while only two respondents said that the female graduates are 40%. Ten survey respondents
said that the salary range of an average female faculty in Afghanistan is 35000 Afghanis per month
(approximately 500$). While one person said that asking the Ministry of Higher Education is the
best method for finding female faculty, 10 people (77%) said that announcement on national social
media would be the best method to find female faculty. Two persons responded that establishing
personal contacts is the best method for achieving this objective.
Seventy-seven percent of the respondents believe that women with master degree are less
than 1000 in all Afghanistan whereas only one person said that there are more than five thousand
female master’s degree holders. Only one person from the surveys responded that the recruitment of
female faculty is unimportant but the rest of the respondents consider it important or very
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important. While majority of the respondents reported that their knowledge of computer and
smartphone use is good, two people thought they are weak in the mentioned field.
Around 40% of the respondents said they are unsure if they know how to find qualified
female faculty, but all respondents agreed that it is very important to train the current students to be
future faculty at MEC and 100% of them think that female faculty will be interested in MEC.
Except for one interviewee, all respondents said that they have the necessary knowledge and skills
to find the eligible female faculty to recruit for this university.
Table 3
Participants’ Responses on Finding Female Faculty
What is the best method for finding the female faculty? Total
Announcement on national social media 10
Asking Ministry of Higher Education 1
Establishing personal contacts 2
Total 13
The participants’ knowledge of the mechanisms required for finding female faculty was
reported to be focused on social media announcements, however, 40% of the respondents were still
not sure if they know how to find female faculty. Additionally, they believe that the average salary
of female faculty in other Afghan institution of higher education is higher than the amount paid to
MEC faulty. Visiting faculty who has permanent jobs at other universities receive pay per class that
they teach. Fulltime MEC female faculties receive between 15,000 to 25,000 Afghanis per month.
Faculty members at other private and public universities receive different salaries ranging from
lower than paid by MEC (10,000) to as much as 140,000 Afghanis (Approx. $2000). In comparison
to most of the other universities in Afghanistan, MEC’s salaries are set lower due to financial
limitations.
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Findings From Interviews
While the majority of the respondents indicated that formal announcement through
websites, social media and mass media is necessary for finding the qualified female faculty, some
respondents highlighted that these approaches are not enough and Ministry of Education and
ministry of women affairs should be highly involved in encouraging women to apply for jobs. Two
respondents indicated that offering female-only environment will allow families and individuals to
work out of their homes as one of the key reasons that women are not allowed outside of the house
is the ban on mingling of men and women in workplace. For example, Nadera stated, “Considering
Afghan society, most families are opposed to women working in mixed environment.” She added,
“Most of the female faculty are interested in working at a female-only center.” Most of the
respondents indicated that offering higher salaries and good incentives would also help in finding
the qualified female faculty.
It was consistently indicated that paying good salaries to the female faculty, provision of a
safe and secure women-only environment with facilities such as kindergarten, school for children,
and clinical services and provision of opportunities for career development are key to retention of
qualified faculty. For instance, Nazia said, “We should consider some conditions; for example, we
should offer them higher salaries, secure working environment, transportation, bonuses, some leave
(maternity leave). She further explained, “Female faculty have their own specific problems as they
bring children and we should consider promotions in terms of salary and in terms of positions.”
Nadera, confirmed the above statements by saying, “we can retain teachers as we have
transportation, accommodation, and kindergarten for children of our female faculty.”
The importance of friendly behavior by the management, fair and constructive appraisals
during the career with recognitions and rewards, and regular capacity building opportunities were
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mentioned. Regarding how to retain qualified female faculty, Hashima asserted, “In order to retain
experienced and knowledgeable faculty, we should provide development opportunities for them for
example if they don’t know the usage of computer, we can offer them computer and software
training.”
While 10 of the respondents emphasized that female-only environment is more acceptable
to them because of religious and cultural reasons, few also mentioned that the women will be safer
because sexual harassment by men will be prevented. For example, Masouma stated, “The big
problem here in Afghanistan is it is a male dominated society, girls are depressed, I keep them
motivated by emphasizing that they will be in management in the future and this will eventually
empower women.”
The respondents were optimistic about how much a women-only facility will be used.
Alima confirmed this by saying, “More than 60-70% of women will be interested to join MEC
because they feel comfortable and safer here.” She added, “Many girls who graduate from high
schools, are not allowed to continue their higher education because they are not allowed to go to
mixed universities and MEC is the only place where they can continue their education.” Hadia
responded, “Afghan people like women to study in women’s only environment.” Shahla, agreed
and said, “It’s natural, females can understand female issues better, interests are better served,
before she is a teacher, she’s a mother, if her child is at work with her, she will be more relaxed,
most places don’t have such facilities (kindergarten on campus), most female faculty are interested
in working in female-only place.” For some of the respondents this has been the first or the only
chance for women to get educated to get teachers jobs as the girls from the conservative families
who wish to get higher education to become teachers, would not become so unless there is female-
only university. Ten respondents believe the work opportunity would be greater in female-only
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environments than in mixed with more males. The interviewees discussed that women will feel less
stress and it will be perceived as greater opportunity overtime when more people realize the
importance of this initiative. For example, Masouma said, “Majority will join this center because in
other places there is a lot of stress, communication and travel problems. This university will be one
of the most successful and it is a unique place.”
During the interviews, it was reported that some of the respondents were not sure if they
know how and where to find female faculty and how to recruit and retain them. It was also reported
that qualified faculty leave the country that makes the availability harder. Masouma stated,
“Qualified female, normally they go abroad.” The respondents identified the travelling to other
countries and not coming back as another challenge for female faculty to be recruited. Masouma
added, “Female faculty over here have lots of difficulty, and therefore they usually leave the
country.” They also suggested that capacity building such as IT trainings were needed for the
interviewees.
Results and Findings for Motivation Causes
Survey Results
This section of the paper discusses the motivation needs of the respondents using the survey
responses. In responding to a question, one of the respondents said that she has “no autonomy” in
her work environment, two respondents said they have “less autonomy than their expectation”
while five said they have “some autonomy” in their work environment and the remaining five said
they have “full autonomy” in their work environment in their respective academic and managerial
tasks (Table 4).
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Table 4
Participants’ Responses Regarding Autonomy
How much autonomy do you have in your work environment? Total
Full autonomy 5
Less autonomy 2
No autonomy 1
Some autonomy 5
Total 13
Six of the survey participants (46%) said that others are interfering in their work. Answering
the survey question of whether they are listened to, respondents had different reactions. One person
said that they are not listened to. Two of the respondents did not respond to this question and one
person said she does not know. Four people mentioned that there is hypocrisy at MEC and three
persons did not answer the question about existence of hypocrisy at MEC. Responding to the
question about satisfaction with the teamwork at MEC, two people said they were not satisfied with
the current level of the teamwork, and two others said they do not know. More than 50% of the
interviewees thought that individual ego is a problem at their workplace. Five respondents said that
they do not know if their decision on the selection of female faculty will be respected and accepted.
Majority of the respondents (77%) said that they would be able to find female faculty to be
recruited. Creation of a female-only environment was reported to be very important for 12
respondents and the majority believes that it is important for everyone. However, only one person
said that they prefer national faculty to expatriate female faculty while another preferred expatriate.
Autonomy or self-determination and independence were reported to be lacking among some
of the participants of the study. Interference in daily task by others, presence of individual ego,
undermining their decisions and existence of hypocrisy in the system was also reported. These
issues may exit at MEC because this institution is newly founded and not everyone is trained to
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support one another and to address morale. There also be perceptions of hypocrisy, but it could be
addressed with more transparency.
Findings from Interviews
The interviewees confirmed the importance of MEC as a unique opportunity for Afghan
women and girls. The most consistent emphasis was given about the fact that the university
promised that the faculty will be women and they believe that the promise should be kept. The
interviewees believe that people will trust MEC more if they keep their promise. In addition, it was
often indicated that there are very few opportunities for women in Afghanistan and this will be
among the few places where recruitment of women will be guaranteed. For example, Hashima said,
“Most families don’t want the women to meet men – they would prefer to send their daughters
someplace where all faculty are female.” Zahra agreed, “It is the best environment for females, first
complex with facilities for only women – kindergarten, school, dorms, university, green
environment.” The interview results indicate that students and their families will be more
comfortable to study in the university if the faculties are women. Hadia said, “Afghan people like
women teachers. Students feel very relaxed to study with women teacher and women teacher feel
relaxed with women students.” Moreover, the respondents emphasized that this will be a good
opportunity for women to enhance their professional career. Parween said, “The reason why women
will want to work at MEC is that because there are all women here, women can talk to each other
and learn from each other. They can improve themselves. There is good chance for their
improvement and progress.”
Eleven respondents admit that it will be difficult to find female faculty for various subjects.
However, many also believe that there are numerous female experts that could be teachers at MEC
but needs to be informed properly about the work opportunity at MEC and encouraged to join. One
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suggestion was about the female students who graduate with good academic background and could
be retained as faculty members. Shahla said, “We have some talented students too who we expect
to be our future faculty here.” Most of the respondents stated that they are in the favor of female-
only environment.
Table 5
Participants’ Responses Regarding a Female-Only Environment
How much it is important for you to create a female-only environment at MEC? Total
Important 2
Not important 1
Very important 10
Total 13
The participants of the study indicated that women-only working environment is one of the
attractive motivators for women and families. Participants emphasized that this environment should
be maintained; they also considered the opportunities for personal growth and professional
improvement an important motivation for the women.
Results and Findings for Organization Causes
Survey Results
This section of the results reports the organization causes of the participants’ response. One
respondent said that there is no clear policy on recruitment of the female faculty at MEC and one
respondent stated that she does not know if there is any such policy. More than 45% of the
respondents said that they do not know if MEC administration has a supporting environment but
seven of the respondents said that they think that MEC has a supporting environment. Around 77%
of the respondents do not agree with male staff being on campus while the remaining said they
agree. Only two respondents said that the current salary range at MEC is reasonable while the rest
believe that the current salary is not reasonable. Only one person said that they are satisfied with t
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heir salary. Also, five people said they did not think that MEC has a suitable transportation system
for its faculty; however, the rest responded yes to the question of whether MEC has a suitable
transportation system.
Lack of clear recruitment and human resource policies seem to be some of the
organizational challenges that respondents reported. A number of respondents also reported lack of
supporting office environment. The majority of the survey respondents stated that their salary is
below the reasonable range. Lack of suitable transportation at MEC was another organizational
challenge reported by the study participants. These gaps provide MEC an opportunity to be creative
and address the gasp with appropriate interventions that will be beneficial to MEC as an
organization and to Afghanistan as a country on how to address issues related to education of girls
and women.
Findings from Interviews
The respondents were from various organizational layers therefore the more senior staff
responded that they have 80-90% role in administration and management. Some junior staff
admitted they have 20-30% role. Some staff mentioned that 50% of their advice has been
considered during the recruitment.
The answer to how much of the respondents’ time was spent on searching for female faculty
was as diverse as the respondent’s role in the university. Most of the faculty at MEC has
administrative responsibilities too and most of the staff members are faculty members too. The staff
members that were involved on human resources including advertising, shortlisting and scheduling
interviews report more than 90% of their time allocated to the process. However other staff that
were involved in interviews as experts also reported that they were involved intensely at the start of
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an academic season or other recruitment process times. Nadera said, “Before starting the new
semester, I usually spend one week to two months searching for new faculty.”
The answer to what has the respondents done to find and recruit female faculty was also
diverse. Those who worked for human resources reported that they are managing the process of
developing the job descriptions and announcing through completion of the recruitment process
100% of their time. While other respondents who were involved in recruitment process as experts
in human resource issues because of their extensive experience in the past reported that they helped
in developing job descriptions, reviewing applications and shortlisting, taking tests and
interviewing the candidates. They mentioned that their involvement was seasonal and sometimes it
was higher than other time. Masouma explained, “normally twice a year we search for female
faculty and it takes two weeks of my time in spring and fall.”
Whether the line management (hierarchy or vertical chain of command) was respected at
MEC, the response was diverse. Most of the respondents asserted that they are clear about the line
management and that it is always observed by all personnel however few respondents said that
sometimes there are confusions on the roles of specific departments or individuals and results in
unclear line of command on certain occasions. One respondent seemed to believe that the chain of
command in MEC’s hierarchy of management is observed less than a third of the occasions and the
others indicated that the line of command is observed only half of the time without specifying the
reasons for that. For example, Hashima said, “20-30% people respect the line management” while
Zahra stated, “50% of line management is respected – 3 reasons: (1) some people don’t want to
respect the line management, (2) some people don’t understand the role of line management, (3)
sometimes it’s not intentional.”
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All 13 respondents described the environment at MEC for female faculty as excellent, good,
relaxing, desirable and so on. For example, Hashima described the environment as “It is very
suitable, comfortable and relaxing; huge place with gardens and beautiful.” Specifically mentioned
aspects were being female-only environment, facilities for children, excellent and sometime
luxurious furniture, equipment and facilities, hostel, trustable security measures and lack of any
form of harassment, green open space in the university, transportation to and from the university.
Nazia asserted, “The only reason is not just because of the female-only environment,
equipment/facilities, largest library (85,000 book capacity), dormitory for 1000 students and
faculty, big classes, green campus; MEC is certified by ISO 9001.” And Zainab said, “It is a very
secure and comfortable environment.” Zahra stated, “It is the best environment for females, first
complex with facilities for only women, kindergarten, school, dorm, university, green
environment.” Most of the respondents believed that taking the above-mentioned facilities in to
consideration, MEC’s environment is very welcoming and attractive for the female faculty. Hadia
said, “Female-only environment, opportunities for capacity building, good security, women are
promoted and served specifically here, can bring their daughters.” Shahla agreed, “Good
environment and facilities, for example teachers can be a mother because she can bring her kids on
campus, she can wear whatever clothes she is most comfortable in. She does not necessarily have to
wear a scarf.” She further explained, “transportation is provided, expenses are lower; husbands are
feeling relaxed and fathers are relaxed knowing that their daughters are not with boys; hostel allows
people to stay; secure at night.”
Lack of observation of the hierarchy of organization was reported in the interviews by the
participants to be the main organizational problem of MEC. The participants confirmed their
satisfaction with female environment facilitated by MEC.
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Summary
In the domain of knowledge, the views of the respondents on the availability of female
workers to recruit and the methods and means to carry out successful employment of female staff
varied. Although some of the respondents reported that they were not sure if they know how to find,
recruit and retain female faculty, emphasis on a mixture of approaches to find and encourage
female staff to work including announcements on social media, offering competitive salaries,
advocacy methods and especially female-only environment were consistently highlighted.
For the motivation area, the two most emphasized factors were autonomy or self-
determination in the work environment over respective academic and managerial tasks and
satisfaction with the female-only environments. However, the perceived level of autonomy has
been different among the study group and few respondents expected higher level of responsibility
and freedom of action. Participants also reported interference in their work, the ego among some of
the staff members and lack of respect to their decisions.
On the organization factors, some of the participants reported the lack of recruitment and
human resource policies. Even though most of the respondents were happy with the environment of
MEC especially because it was female-only and it offered a good level of respect and authority to
the staff in charge, Lack of supporting office environment and lack of respect to hierarchy of
organization were reported by some of the respondents. Additional factors mentioned that could
improve satisfaction were transportation facility and better salary. All staff reported direct or
indirect involvement in the process of employment of staff.
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CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study participants seemed to have uniformed impression of the importance of the
female-only environment in Afghanistan, particularly to meet cultural and religious needs. The
respondents know and believe in the importance of female-only educational environment and how
crucial the recruitment of female faculty is. They all believe that 80 to 90% of Afghan people and
families want female-only environment. Their knowledge of the shortage of the qualified female
faculty seems to be according to the available evidence (Guimbert, 2008).
The majority of the respondents consider announcement on social media is the best method in
Afghanistan for finding the qualified female faculty. Social media seems to be a successful tool in
connecting and reaching to the female faculty (Bauman, 2014).
However, some of the respondents reported low knowledge of the computer and smart
phone use, which is important to use it for searching and finding the female faculty.
All survey participants believe that it would be very productive if the current students at
MEC were trained to be future faculty of MEC. Nonetheless, except for one respondent, all
participants prefer international faculty to national faculty to be recruited at MEC. However, none
of the respondents said anything about tele-education and online lectures that can be provided by
expatriate faculty from distance. This could be considered as one of the knowledge gaps of the
participants of this study.
Study participants’ understanding of the value of women-only environment for Afghans has
motivated them to try hard to find female faculty. The respondents seem confident that they will be
able to find qualified female faculty. The motto of the MEC, “Yes, we can” and “women for
women” look motivating and seem to have encouraged the respondents to struggle their best for
achievement of their common goal. In addition, majority of the respondents (10 out of 13) disagree
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with male staff being on campus, which means they will make every effort to maintain women-only
campus. Additionally, the dissatisfaction with the current salary scale at MEC is evident and only
one respondent seems happy with their salary.
Almost half of the survey respondents feel that others are interfering in their office work.
This behavior can be discouraging and interfere with effective performance. Moreover, some
respondents stated that they are not listened to and some of them believe that there is hypocrisy in
the organization. There also seems to be some dissatisfaction with the level of the teamwork at
MEC. The respondents complained from individual ego that exists among staff members at MEC.
In the meantime, the respondents think that the credit or reward of their hard work is given to other
staff members.
Low work autonomy was reported. In addition, all participants seem to be involved in the
recruitment process and their time occupied by the tasks other than their main responsibilities may
be challenging and can interrupt the smooth recruitment process. According to (Tella, 2007) job
satisfaction result in high productivity, while disturbing the chain of command and not respecting it
may increase dissatisfaction (Putko, 2006). While a few of the respondents are happy with the level
of respect to line management, majority seems to complain in one or another way from lack of
absolute observation of the chain of command at the organization.
Though the respondents have emphasized the importance of the existence of female-only
environment at MEC and considered it as strength, they assert that this is not the only tool for
attracting and retaining qualified female faculty. They believe that higher salaries, secure working
environment, incentives, provisions of capacity building programs, promotions, facility for keeping
their babies, comfortable accommodation, friendly environment and good transportation are also
critical issues that must be taken care of effectively.
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Recommendations
Knowledge Causes
Gender inequality and inequity are profound in Afghanistan and a multitude of social and
economic factors contribute to them. Women are the de facto victims of gender imbalance in
Afghanistan as in other developing countries (Sengupta, 2007). One of the direct results of
historical deprivation of women is lack of information or existence of misinformation among them
on certain basic issues related to women (Karnani, 2007).
One of the key areas to address is to enhance the awareness of women on the status of
Afghan women especially in academic area. To improve awareness, the available data on public
and private academic institutions, women cadres, and women officials and in a larger scope female
intellectual should be introduced to study participants through seminars and workshops this year.
The network building and awareness efforts will increase the willingness of female faculty
to get employed. Understanding the market status on the services of various cadres, the facilities
and benefit packages offered and the opportunities available will allow both the employers and
women willing to work to find their appropriate match. Increase in salary has been emphasized by
the study participants that may reflect the difference in expectation of the employer and the female
faculty because being a new institution and having a small budget, MEC would expect
understanding of its financial constraints by the staff.
Continuous capacity building trainings in different fields to the study participants and
faculty may prove effective. Specifically, IT training to teach basic computer skills and smart phone
applications will help finding the qualified female faculty through social media. Investment in high
achieving students to become future faculty of the MEC would be another efficient way of
producing qualified female faculty.
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A key deterrent of women from working outside home is nonetheless the restrictions over
women to work with men in the same environment. Therefore, as all participants of this study
emphasized all efforts should be joined to make the first experiment of women-only academic
institution of MEC a success. Providing awareness on the importance of scholarships for women to
get enrolled in MEC, providing transportation services to MEC staff and security measures under
government or a humanitarian aid organization will increase the acceptability of the opportunity to
work and study in MEC.
Motivation Causes
The key to motivation is autonomy and self-determination over major life decisions (Gagne,
2005). Women are traditionally denied most their rights in Afghan community (Rasekh, 1998).
Genuine social and cultural reasons make it impractical for Afghanistan to provide women with
large scale and extensive freedom of choice. However, the women-only environment of MEC may
serve as a good experience and example for women to practice their autonomy.
The past experience of MEC with current female staff allows for a fresh look into the
organizational structure of the institution. The structure of the MEC needs to be revisited in a
manner that addresses the discontentment and dissatisfaction of some of the respondents who stated
that their voices are not heard. Establishment of the proper reward system might be crucial step in
keeping staff motivated. To prevent hypocrisy and attitude conflicts, behavior change
communication trainings will definitely prove effective.
On a more global level, women empowerment should be one of the key elements of the
long-term strategy of MEC. Gender and women empowerment issues should be integrated into the
curricula of the various faculties of MEC as well as the ancillary services and all annexed services.
For examples, in health-related education areas, the curricula should be gender sensitive. Human
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
58
resource management and development subject areas such as teachers training programs, the gender
equity and gender sensitivity should be addressed explicitly. These efforts may include but not
limited to building skills that gives speedy financial stability to women such as professional
culinary, tailoring and other vocational trainings.
The service provision elements of MEC including the upcoming hospital services,
kindergarten, kitchen services, school and support administrative functions will absorb more female
staff by passage of time. The official authority associated with specific roles will impart executive
power on the workingwomen. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure the human resources
processes and development approaches are leading to absorption of talented women to MEC.
Organization Causes
Establishing a women empowerment environment such as that of MEC could only be
considered the first step in achieving the goals of serving the deprived Afghan women. Developing
and implementing appropriate policies that make MEC acceptable to women and their families are
equally important. These policies may include merit-based scholarships, respecting cultural and
religious values, involving students and families in developing policies and procedures. MEC will
need to reconsider its salary scale policy, improve transportation system, pay more attention to the
recruitment of the international faculty and facilitate online lectures.
Long-term viability of the complex academic and promotional services of MEC is
dependent on its responsiveness to the changing need of the students and their families. Therefore,
it is important to develop an advocacy team consisting of highly competent and empowered role
models and build their capacity through various trainings and workshops to make sure they are well
aware of the vision of the institution. One option could be forming an MEC advocacy team whose
role would be advisory and will include all women that have ever been the first ladies of
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
59
Afghanistan, current first lady, prominent members of parliament and the senate, representatives of
major humanitarian and women support organizations such as, Afghan Red Crescent Society,
Human Right Commission, embassies of major contributing countries, and civil society
organizations. Such a team will protect MEC from interferences by politicians, increase the
transparency and accountability of the institution to the staff and the beneficiary community,
embrace the state of the art developments in academic and organizational management culture and
create an environment of unfailing trust for women and their families.
Developing formal affiliations with national and international academic institutions is very
important. Therefore, MEC needs to diversify its engagement with international associations and
societies as well as specific international independent universities and schools.
The restriction on women to move alone on long distances or to live away from home, as
well as the evident business opportunities necessitates that MEC think of rolling out to other major
cities. A rapid expansion will not be possible for the current investor alone. Therefore, it is essential
for the institution managers as well as for its advocates to seek in-kind and monetary investment
partnerships to support MEC to catch up with the demand that will be building up during successful
implementation of MEC services. To summarize, the following measures are recommended:
Knowledge
To improve the knowledge of administrative team of MEC regarding finding, recruiting,
hiring and retaining of the qualified female faculty, MEC should conduct awareness and capacity
building trainings for them. MEC may hire an external consultancy company to provide the
trainings. Trainings concerning online lectures and tele-education, their applicability, efficiency
and importance should also be conducted.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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Motivation
To address the issues of individual ego, interference, low level of respect to the hierarchy,
behavior change communication trainings should be provided. To address staff motivation issues, a
proper reward system that will recognize staff’s performance should be developed and the Afghan
women friendly environment with all annexed services should be maintained. To ensure job
satisfaction, autonomy and self-determination should be promoted by giving authority to the staff
members so that they can have the required control over their work. Job description will be revised
and every staff member’s authority should be given accordingly.
Organization
To address female faculty’s recruitment and retention processes, effectively implement the
recently developed recruitment and retention guidelines and policies including salary scale
(Appendix E). To address the quality of the expertise of the female faculty in all different subjects,
MEC can recognize its own bright students and prepare them to be future faculty members of MEC.
The most intelligent students may be assigned with the current male and female faculty as teaching
assistants. In the meantime, they may be sent for training to other national and international
universities. These students will sign the commitment agreement with MEC that after the
completion of their training, they will work for MEC for a period of 10 years minimum.
Transportation facilities should be improved by hiring new and comfortable cars; lowering the
transport fees and ensuring on time pick and drop of the faculty and staff. Extending the transport
service to remote areas and door-to-door service will be another important attraction for women to
join MEC.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
61
Conclusion
Though the respondents’ view varied on successful recruitment of qualified female faculty,
the common emphasis was on approaches such as announcements on social media, competitive
salaries and maintaining the women-only environment. The study participants may benefit from
various capacity building trainings. The MEC will also need to take necessary steps such as giving
more autonomy to the staff, establishing and implementing reward system, preventing interference
by others, providing more friendly transport to the faculty and staff and paying better salaries to the
staff to address staff satisfaction issues. The implementation of the recently developed recruitment
guidelines and reward policies will be necessary for the effective recruitment and will facilitate
faculty retention. National and international collaboration is required to understand, appreciate,
support and expand such a bold initiative like a women-only academic institution in an environment
traditionally considered hostile towards such initiatives. Therefore, a concerted set of efforts should
be made by local and international public and private partners to ensure the right knowledge,
sufficient motivation and appropriate organizational provisions are sustained on the vision of
developed and happy Afghan women.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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Appendix A
Survey Protocol
Knowledge
1. What percentage of higher education graduates in Afghanistan is female?
a) 5% b) 10% c) 20% d) 40% e) 60%
2. What is the salary range of an average female faculty?
a) Less than 20,000Afg b) 20,000-35,000Afg c) 35,000-50,000 Afg d) 50,000-
65,000Afg e) more than 65,000Afg
3. Select the best method for finding the female faculty?
a) Announcement on national social media
b) Visiting other universities
c) Establishing personal contacts
d) Asking Ministry of Higher Education
e) I don’t know
4. Select the best answer for how many female master degree holders are present in
Afghanistan?
a) More than five thousands
b) One thousand – five thousands
c) One hundred – one thousand
d) Less than one hundred
e) I don’t know
5. Select the best answer for how important recruitment of female faculty is?
a) Very important
b) Important
c) Don’t know
d) Unimportant
e) Not important at all
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6. How do you grade your knowledge of computer and smart phone use?
a) Very good
b) Good
c) Average
d) Weak
e) Too weak
7. You know how to find the qualified female faculty?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Not sure
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
8. How productive would it be to train the current students to be future faculty?
a) Very important
b) Important
c) Don’t know
d) Unimportant
e) Unimportant at all
9. Female faculty in Afghanistan will be interested in this project?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
10. You have the necessary knowledge and skills to find the eligible female faculty to recruit for
this university?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
76
Motivation
11. How much autonomy do you have in your work environment?
a) Full autonomy
b) Some autonomy
c) Less autonomy
d) No autonomy
e) Don’t know
12. Do you feel others are interfering in your work?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
13. Are you listened to?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
14. Is there hypocrisy in your institution?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
15. Are you satisfied with the current teamwork at your organization?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
77
16. Do you think that individual ego is a problem at your work place?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
17. Do you think your decision on selecting and recruiting female faculty will be respected and
accepted?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
18. Do you think you can find female faculty?
a) Very much
b) Somewhat
c) Don’t know
d) Very less
e) Not at all
19. How much it is important for you to create a female-only environment at MEC?
a) Very important
b) Important
c) Don’t know
d) Less important
e) Not important at all
20. The members of your team are credited with your efforts more than yourself?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
78
21. There is a general agreement on the importance and creation of female-only environment.
f) Strongly agree
g) Agree
h) Don’t know
i) Disagree
j) Strongly disagree
22. Taking all the pros and cons of national and international faculty in to consideration, do you
prefer national or international faculty?
a) National
b) International
c) Don’t know
23. Female faculty training is critical.
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
Organization
24. There is a clear policy on recruitment of the female faculty at MEC?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
25. You agree with recruitment of only female faculty?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
79
26. The MEC administration has a supporting environment?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
27. You agree with male staff being on campus?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
28. The current salary range at MEC is reasonable?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
29. You are satisfied with your salary?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
30. MEC has a suitable transportation system for faculty?
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Don’t know
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree
31. How many female students graduate every year from higher education?
32. What are their fields of education?
33. How many female faculties are available in Afghanistan?
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
80
34. Where do you think is the main pool of female faculty from which faculty can be recruited
to this university?
35. Who is making the final decision of recruitment?
36. What is your opinion on the feedback and award system at MEC?
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
81
Appendix B
Interview Protocol
Knowledge
1. What are your thoughts on how to find and recruit female faculty?
2. How can you retain the female faculty once you recruited them?
3. What do you think about the interest of Afghan people in going to a female-only university?
4. How much do you think female faculty will be interested in working in such centers?
Motivation
5. Why do you believe female faculty members are important to be recruited?
6. How much do you believe in your ability that you will find and recruit female faculty?
Organization
7. How much are you involved in decision-making regarding recruitment of the female
faculty?
8. How much of your time is spent on searching for female faculty?
9. What have you done to find and recruitment female faculty?
10. How much do you think the line management is respected at your organization?
11. How do you consider the current environment of MEC for having female faculty work
there?
12. Why would female faculty choose to work at MEC?
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
82
Appendix C
KMO Tables
By March 2021, MEC will have 100% female faculty and staff to create a female-only campus
that provides an educational environment empowering Afghan women.
Knowledge
Sources
Knowledge of…
Survey Interviews Observations
Scanning
interviews,
personal
knowledge
(informal
knowledge
about the
organization)
The management
team at MEC
seems to lack the
knowledge of
availability of
female faculty in
Afghanistan,
their statistics:
how many,
where, what
qualifications,
what salaries,
etc. (Factual)
Only a few of the
management
team members of
the university
realize the fact
that female
faculty
recruitment is
crucial for
creating a
successful
environment for
achieving the
organization
goal.
(Conceptual)
However, they
Factual
Knowledge
What
percentage of
higher
education
graduates in
Afghanistan is
female? What is
the salary range
of an average
female faculty?
Select the best
method for
finding the
female faculty?
Select the best
answer for how
many female
master degree
holders are
present in
Afghanistan?
Conceptual
Knowledge
Select the best
answer for how
important
recruitment of
female faculty
is?
Factual
Knowledge
How many
female students
are graduated
every year from
higher
education? What
are their fields
of education?
How many
female faculties
are available in
Afghanistan?
Where do you
think is the main
pool of female
faculty from
which faculty
can be recruited
to this
university?
Conceptual
Knowledge
How can you
retain the female
faculty once you
recruited them?
What is your
ability of using
computer
Procedural
knowledge
To observe
administration
team’s
computer
skills
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
83
lack the required
knowledge about
how to find the
eligible faculty
who are
qualified,
affordable and
interested in
working at
Afghan Women
University.
(Procedural)
In order to
achieve the
sustainability
and
organizational
goal, faculty
(particularly
expatriate and
male) needs to
have the required
knowledge to
perform
professional
development
training of the
other female
faculty, and
select amongst
the intelligent
students and
train the
potential faculty.
(Metacognitive)
There is
extensive
diversity in the
ability of
technology use
(e.g. computer)
among the
management
How do you
grade your
knowledge of
computer and
smart phone
use?
Procedural
Knowledge
You know how
to find the
qualified
female faculty?
(Strongly agree,
agree, don’t
know, disagree,
strongly
disagree)
Metacognitive
knowledge
How important
it is to convince
the male and
expatriate
faculty to train
the current
students to
become future
faculty? (Very
important,
important, don’t
know,
unimportant,
not important at
all)
technology?
Procedural
Knowledge
What are your
thoughts on how
to find and
recruit female
faculty?
Metacognitive
knowledge
How important
it is to have all-
female faculties?
What is your
opinion about
the availability
of qualified
female faculty in
Afghanistan?
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
84
team members.
(Conceptual)
Learning and
motivation
theory
(generic,
learned so far
in 631 or
elsewhere in
the program)
1) University
management
team does not
have the
knowledge of the
availability of
qualified female
faculty in
Afghanistan
(Factual).
2) The
management
team does not
know about the
interest of
Afghan female
faculty in this
project
(conceptual).
3) The
management
team does not
know how to
find and recruit
the eligible
female faculty
for the university
(procedural).
4) The
management
team does not
know about their
personal skills of
being able to
select the
appropriate
faculty and
ability to design
strategies.
Conceptual
Knowledge
Do you think
female faculty
in Afghanistan
will be
interested in
this project?
Metacognitive
Knowledge
Do you think
you have the
necessary
knowledge and
skills to find the
eligible female
faculty to
recruit for this
university?
Conceptual
Knowledge
What do you
think about the
interest of
Afghan people
in going to a
female-only
university?
How much do
you think female
faculty will be
interested in
working in such
centers?
Procedural
Knowledge
What is the best
way to find and
recruit female
faculty?
Metacognitive
Knowledge
What is your
own impression
of your abilities
to find female
faculties?
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
85
(Metacognitive)
Related
research
literature
(your own
subject-
specific
research
about similar
organizations
or problems)
Feminism, the
Taliban, and
politics of
counter-
insurgency.
Anthropological
Quarterly, 75(2),
339-354.
Hirschkind, C.,
& Mahmood, S.
(2002).
Old dilemmas or
new challenges?
The politics of
gender and
reconstruction in
Afghanistan.
Development
and Change,
38(2), 169-199.
Kandiyoti, D.
(2007).
War,
factionalism, and
the state in
Afghanistan.
American
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
86
Anthropologist,
104(3), 715-722.
Shahrani, N. M.
(2002).
Building human
resources and
women's
capabilities in
Afghanistan: A
retrospect and
prospects. World
Development,
22(6), 859-875.
Moghadam, V.
M. (1994).
Back to school in
Afghanistan:
Determinants of
school
enrollment.
International
Journal of
Educational
Development,
28(4), 419-434.
Guimbert, S.,
Miwa, K., &
Nguyen, D. T.
(2008).
A history of
women in
Afghanistan:
Lessons learnt
for the future or
yesterdays and
tomorrow:
women in
Afghanistan.
Journal of
International
Women's Studies,
4(3), 1-14.
Ahmed-Ghosh,
H. (2013).
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
87
Motivation
Sources
Knowledge of…
Surveys Interviews
Observations
Scanning
interviews,
personal
knowledge
(informal
knowledge
about the
organization)
There is a sense of
undermining
others’
capabilities in the
team.
Some members
believe that
whether they
agree or not with
a particular
decision, it will be
made anyways.
Team members
believe in
productivity of the
teamwork,
however there are
some members
who consider
themselves the
key figures in the
project. (both of
the above result in
demotivation of
the administrative
staff)
Some of the team
members seem to
be lacking the
confidence that
their input are
important for the
project and
believe that
decisions will be
taken whether
they agree or not
How much
autonomy do
you have in
your work
environment?
Do you feel
others are
interfering in
your work?
Are you
listened to?
Is there
hypocrisy in
your
institution?
Are you
satisfied with
the current
teamwork at
your
organization?
Do you think
that
individual
ego is a
problem at
your work
place?
Do you think
your decision
on selecting
and recruiting
female
Who is
making the
final decision?
How much are
you involved
in decision-
making
regarding
recruitment of
the female
faculty?
What is your
opinion on the
feedback and
award system
at MEC?
Why do you
believe female
faculty
members are
important to
be recruited?
How much do
you believe in
your ability
that you will
find and
recruit female
faculty?
To observe
administration
team’s
behavior during
management
board meetings
to see their
level of interest
in finding
female faculty.
Observation of
the interviews
between
management
team and the
female faculty
to see their
behavior and
the
interviewee’s
feedback.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
88
(self-efficacy
issue).
There are team
members who
usually complain
from their work
being attributed to
others while
exerting much
effort in helping
other team
members in
addition to
accomplishment
of their own
organizational
objectives and
responsibilities.
There seems to be
ununiformed
motivation
regarding creating
female-only
faculty
departments, as
they don’t see a
critical value in
doing so. (Value
theory)
faculty will
be respected
and accepted?
Do you think
you can find
female
faculty?
How much it
is important
for you to
create a
female-only
environment
at MEC?
Do you think
that the credit
of your
efforts go to
other
members of
your team?
There is a
general
agreement on
the
importance
and creation
of female-
only
environment?
(Strongly
agree, agree,
don’t know,
disagree,
strongly
disagree)
Learning and
motivation
theory
(generic,
The management
team does not want
to bother for
searching female
Taking all
the pros and
cons of
national and
How much of
your time is
spent on
searching for
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
89
learned so far
in 631 or
elsewhere in
the program)
faculty in side
Afghanistan and
therefore show less
interest in creating a
strategy for their
recruitment and
training. They
believe it is easy to
have expatriate
faculty on the
campus
permanently.
The management
board is trying to
postpone the female
faculty-training
program so that they
have less trouble
with making all the
recruitment
strategies in the
earlier stage.
international
faculty in to
consideration,
which one do
you prefer?
Female
faculty
training is
critical.
(Strongly
agree, agree,
don’t know,
disagree,
strongly
disagree)
female
faculty?
What have
you done to
find and
recruitment
female
faculty?
Why do you
prefer national
or
international
female
faculty?
Related
research
literature
(your own
subject-
specific
research
about similar
organizations
or problems)
Feminism, the
Taliban, and politics
of counter-
insurgency.
Anthropological
Quarterly, 75(2),
339-354.
Hirschkind, C., &
Mahmood, S.
(2002).
Old dilemmas or
new challenges? The
politics of gender
and reconstruction
in Afghanistan.
Development and
Change, 38(2), 169-
199.
Kandiyoti, D.
(2007).
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
90
War, factionalism,
and the state in
Afghanistan.
American
Anthropologist,
104(3), 715-722.
Shahrani, N. M.
(2002).
Building human
resources and
women's capabilities
in Afghanistan: A
retrospect and
prospects. World
Development, 22(6),
859-875.
Moghadam, V. M.
(1994).
Back to school in
Afghanistan:
Determinants of
school enrollment.
International
Journal of
Educational
Development, 28(4),
419-434.
Guimbert, S., Miwa,
K., & Nguyen, D. T.
(2008).
A history of women
in Afghanistan:
Lessons learnt for
the future or
yesterdays and
tomorrow: women
in Afghanistan.
Journal of
International
Women's Studies,
4(3), 1-14.
Ahmed-Ghosh, H.
(2013).
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
91
Organization
Sources
Knowledge of… Surveys Interviews Observations
Scanning
interviews,
personal
knowledge
The MEC lacks
the policy based
on which it can
unify
Is there any
clear policy on
recruitment of
the female
How much do
you think the
line
management is
To observe the
physical
resources at
MEC enabling
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
92
(informal
knowledge
about the
organization)
organization’s
culture regarding
female faculty
recruitment
because the team
has been divided
in two groups;
opponents and
proponents of
female-only idea.
Through
providing some
scientific
evidence it might
be helpful to
design a concrete
strategy under
which the
proponents and
opponents of the
female-only
concept members
will be enabled to
adopt the
recruitment
process.
The culture of
negativism is a
wide spread
challenge at
organization. The
weaknesses and
failures are
always projected
first. Most of the
team members do
not see the
positive aspects
of things and they
always search for
negative points.
The majority of
the current
faculty at
MEC?
Do you agree
with
recruitment of
only female
faculty?
Do you think
the MEC
administration
has a
supporting
environment?
Do you
believe in
teamwork?
Are you
optimistic
about women
for women
concept of
MEC?
Do you agree
with male staff
being on
campus?
Do you think
the current
salary range at
MEC is
reasonable?
Are you
satisfied with
your salary?
respected at
your
organization?
How much is it
important for
you to recruit
only female
staff for MEC
and why?
What are your
thoughts on the
output of
creation of a
female-only
environment?
How do you
consider the
current
environment of
MEC for
having female
faculty work
there?
the
management
team to find and
recruit the
female faculty
(office
equipment,
internet, admin
staff, financial
resources, etc.)
Observing the
relationship
between the
staff and
observing if
there is mutual
respect.
Observing the
level of the
teamwork.
Observing the
implementation
and respecting
the MEC
policies.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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management team
members are
male. According
to the projects’
policy of
establishing a
women-only
campus, the
management team
cannot have an
office in the
university campus
and therefore
need to operate
from the distance.
This lack of on-
campus office for
the management
team is a real
challenge.
There is also a
shortage of
funding to include
more expert
administrators in
the management
team who require
high salaries,
particularly if
they are selected
among women.
Learning and
motivation
theory
(generic,
learned so far
in 631 or
elsewhere in
the program)
The
administration
team does not
share a common
belief in female-
only environment.
Some of them
believe it is quite
fine if the
university have
male staff
particularly
faculty.
It is not
important to
have male or
female faculty
at MEC?
(Strongly
agree, agree,
don’t know,
disagree,
strongly
disagree)
Do you feel
Who do you
think should
interview
potential
female faculty?
How much it is
important for
you if you or
others recruit
the faculty?
Why would
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
94
Contacting female
faculty and
interviewing them
has been a
challenge. The
management team
has very limited
access to women
across the country
due to religious
and cultural
barriers.
The organization
is suffering from
an unsound
competition
among
management
team. Every one
wants to gain the
credits for
him/herself.
MEC’s ability to
provide
transportation for
every individual
female faculty
seems to be a
challenge due to
its high cost
incurred by MEC
and the cultural,
religious and
security issues.
comfortable in
contacting
potential
female
faculty?
Do you think
MEC has a
suitable
transportation
system for
faculty?
female faculty
choose to work
at MEC?
Related
research
literature
(your own
subject-
specific
research
about similar
organizations
Feminism, the
Taliban, and
politics of
counter-
insurgency.
Anthropological
Quarterly, 75(2),
339-354.
Hirschkind, C., &
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
95
or problems) Mahmood, S.
(2002).
Old dilemmas or
new challenges?
The politics of
gender and
reconstruction in
Afghanistan.
Development and
Change, 38(2),
169-199.
Kandiyoti, D.
(2007).
War,
factionalism, and
the state in
Afghanistan.
American
Anthropologist,
104(3), 715-722.
Shahrani, N. M.
(2002).
Building human
resources and
women's
capabilities in
Afghanistan: A
retrospect and
prospects. World
Development,
22(6), 859-875.
Moghadam, V.
M. (1994).
Back to school in
Afghanistan:
Determinants of
school
enrollment.
International
Journal of
Educational
Development,
28(4), 419-434.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
96
Guimbert, S.,
Miwa, K., &
Nguyen, D. T.
(2008).
A history of
women in
Afghanistan:
Lessons learnt for
the future or
yesterdays and
tomorrow:
women in
Afghanistan.
Journal of
International
Women's Studies,
4(3), 1-14.
Ahmed-Ghosh, H.
(2013).
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
97
Appendix D
Employee Handbook; Human Resources Policy Manual
Moraa
EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK
Human Resources Policy Manual
April 2016
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
98
This Page is initially left blank
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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Contents
I. General Information .......................................................................................................................... 6
Preface ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Code of Ethical Conduct for Employees .............................................................................................. 6
Handbook Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7
Purpose of the manual ....................................................................................................................... 7
Applicable Regulations and Order of Precedence ............................................................................. 7
Authority and Amendments ............................................................................................................... 7
II. Types of Staff .................................................................................................................................... 7
Employee Classifications ...................................................................................................................... 7
Regular Staff (Full-time and Part-time) ................................................................................................ 7
Internship .............................................................................................................................................. 7
III. Employment Procedures ................................................................................................................ 8
Contract Standardization ....................................................................................................................... 8
Standards of Behavior ........................................................................................................................... 8
Termination of Employment ................................................................................................................. 8
Termination with Cause ........................................................................................................................ 9
Termination without Cause ................................................................................................................... 9
Termination for Unsatisfactory Performance ....................................................................................... 9
Resignation ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Warnings ............................................................................................................................................... 9
IV. Personnel Administration ............................................................................................................. 10
Work Hours ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Timesheets .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Salary .................................................................................................................................................. 10
Salary Payment and Pay Periods ......................................................................................................... 10
Salary Review and Adjustments ......................................................................................................... 10
Method and Currency of Payment ...................................................................................................... 11
Salary Advances .................................................................................................................................. 11
Annual /Vacation Leave ..................................................................................................................... 11
Scheduling and Approval .................................................................................................................... 11
Leave without Pay ............................................................................................................................... 11
Unused Annual Leave ......................................................................................................................... 12
Holiday Occurring During All Types of Leave .................................................................................. 12
Sick Leave Amount & Accrual ........................................................................................................... 12
Hajj Leave ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Official/Public Holidays ..................................................................................................................... 12
Marriage Leave ................................................................................................................................... 12
Paternity Leave ................................................................................................................................... 13
Maternity Leave .................................................................................................................................. 13
Bereavement Leave ............................................................................................................................. 13
Official/Work Related Travel Expenses/Per Diem ............................................................................. 13
Per diems ............................................................................................................................................. 14
Reimbursement ................................................................................................................................... 14
Communication Allowance ................................................................................................................ 14
Eid Bonus ............................................................................................................................................ 14
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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Uniforms ............................................................................................................................................. 14
End of Contract Close Out .................................................................................................................. 14
Technical Close-Out ........................................................................................................................... 15
Administration Clearance ................................................................................................................... 15
V. General Information ........................................................................................................................ 16
Personal Use of Moraa’s Assets ......................................................................................................... 16
Confidential Information .................................................................................................................... 16
Gratuities, Kickbacks and Bribery ...................................................................................................... 16
Grievance Procedure ........................................................................................................................... 16
Employment of Relatives .................................................................................................................... 17
Non-Discrimination, Non-Retaliation and Harassment Policy ........................................................... 17
Equal Employment Opportunity ......................................................................................................... 17
Prohibited Conduct ............................................................................................................................. 18
Personal Appearance ........................................................................................................................... 18
Safety and Security ............................................................................................................................. 18
VI. Employee Recruitment and Selection .......................................................................................... 19
Identifying Staffing Requirements ...................................................................................................... 19
ToR/Position Description.................................................................................................................... 19
Selection and Selection Criteria .......................................................................................................... 19
Selection Process ................................................................................................................................ 19
Selection Committees ......................................................................................................................... 20
Reference Checks ................................................................................................................................ 20
Salary .................................................................................................................................................. 21
Offer of Employment and Employment Contract ............................................................................... 21
Probation Period .................................................................................................................................. 21
New Staff Orientation ......................................................................................................................... 21
Personnel file ...................................................................................................................................... 21
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I. General Information
Preface
This Policy Handbook has been formulated in the light of the relevant current and applicable
Afghan laws and contains information on personnel policies & procedures for all full-time and
part-time regular national staff working for Moraa in Afghanistan. It illustrates many questions
about everyday working matters related to the Human resources.
This handbook is issued by the Moraa Human Resources (HR) department. Moraa employees are
encouraged to get to know this handbook, which explains the applicable operating policies,
procedures, and practices with relation to HR.
In case this manual is translated in Dari and Pashto languages, the text or form as per the English
version will prevail.
This Manual will be reviewed and revised as required based on lessons learned from the field and
the changing dynamics of Moraa. Any change/update to this manual can only be done by the Moraa
management. The revised version of the manual will be circulated to all employees through HR
department specifying the policy changes and revisions along with the effective date.
Note: This policy handbook does not represent an employment contract or imply job security.
Please address any questions, concerns, or suggestions to the Human Resources section of
Moraa.
Code of Ethical Conduct for Employees
Moraa expects that each employee will, to the best of their knowledge and ability to:
§ Act with openness, honesty and integrity in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities.
§ Comply with laws and regulations.
§ Respect the culture and customs of the country they work in.
§ Treat others with respect and dignity, consistent with office policies on nondiscrimination
and sexual harassment.
§ Actively promote ethical behavior in their work environment and community.
§ Care for Moraa’s property and resources as if they were my own. Moraa expects that
employees will not use its property or resources for personal purposes or personal gain.
Will report known or suspected violations of this Code to Moraa’s Internal Auditor or to the
Chairman of the Audit Committee.
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Handbook Introduction
Purpose of the manual
In an effort to standardize Personnel Policies, Moraa is issuing this handbook to inform its staff
of their rights, responsibilities, and obligations and to facilitate the effectiveness of program
management and administrative staff who are responsible for implementing and contributing to
the work of Moraa.
Applicable Regulations and Order of Precedence
The contents of this handbook are bound by, and based upon, Afghan labor law and other
applicable Afghan laws and executive regulations as issued and/or amended periodically. Where
these laws and regulations allow flexibility, the contents of this handbook are bound and based on
Moraa’s management requirements and practices.
Authority and Amendments
Ultimate authority for this handbook rests with Moraa’s authorized designee. The authorized
designees, are the only persons to issue this handbook or any future additions, deletions, or other
modifications. All such amendments shall be distributed to all employees, along with a new preface
specifying the amended sections and the effective date of the amendment. The handbook will be
translated in to Dari and Pashtu and they will be available in hard copy in the Human Resources
Section.
II. Types of Staff
Employee Classifications
Regular Staff (Full-time and Part-time)
Moraa’s all employees (full-time and part-time) are hired on an “at will” basis. As such, Moraa
reserves the right to terminate employment of any employee for whatever reason at any time. In
turn, the employee also has the same right.
Anyone working for Moraa, either full-time or part-time, on a regular ongoing basis should be
classified as an employee of the Moraa. Employees all applicable benefits and allowances will be
paid based on the nature of their contract (Full-time or Part-time), depending on the nature of their
work and level of responsibility.
Internship
The purpose of Moraa’s internship approach is to enable new graduates to acquire experience in a
practical area of work, develop awareness, understanding and skills needed to achieve core
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competencies and provide Moraa with the assistance of qualified graduates or students specialized
in various professional fields relevant to their education.
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III. Employment Procedures
Contract Standardization
All employees employed directly by Moraa will receive standard employment agreements.
Standards of Behavior
All employees are required to maintain standards of personal conduct and job performance at
all times. Violation of Moraa’s policies or other illegal and improper acts or practices are
strictly forbidden and may result in immediate dismissal. The following examples of conduct
may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination:
• Consistent poor work performance or negligence;
• Repeated absence or tardiness;
• Lack of cooperation and/or willful insubordination to supervisor and management;
• Malicious, dangerous, disorderly or violent behavior that involves physical acts;
• Acts of fraud or dishonesty which injure office employees, operations and
property or organizations and individuals working with Moraa;
• Disclosure of confidential information to outside sources;
• Falsification of Moraa’s records or obtaining employment through false
representation;
• Verbal or physical harassment related to ethnic, religious or sexual background;
• Misuse of office equipment, including copiers, computers, vehicles, radios,
telephones, etc., including for more than minimal/nominal personal use;
• Willful loss, destruction or theft of Moraa’s property;
• Breach of any law applicable to Moraa.
Termination of Employment
Employment with Moraa, for all categories of employees, has a written contract with the
Moraa. This means that employment with Moraa is subject to the availability of funds
and program requirements. Therefore, all employees are subject to separation from Moraa
in the following forms.
Termination may take one of six forms:
• Termination with cause;
• Termination without cause;
• Termination for unsatisfactory performance;
• Resignation;
• Retirement;
• Death.
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Termination with Cause
Employees separated for cause, such as; misconduct, fraud or violation of Moraa’s policies
will become effective immediately, and the employee will receive no compensation beyond
the date of termination, or any other payments, except allowable. Reasons for Termination
with Cause include but are not limited to:
Termination without Cause
Employees separated with satisfactory service (without cause) due to restriction of funds,
redundancy or other changes to the program, will be given 30 days’ notice of termination
and will be paid any payable payments.
Termination for Unsatisfactory Performance
Employees separated for unsatisfactory service at the end of a probationary period will be
given one week's notice or one week's salary.
Resignation
An employee wishing to leave his/her position with Moraa must submit a letter of
resignation, and the reason for the resignation. Employees on probation must give one week’s
notice in writing. All other employees must give four weeks’ notice in writing. If the
employee resigns
Warnings
Employees will receive written warnings for certain types of negligence or misconduct on
the job, either performance or non-performance related, which will be documented in their
personnel files. Such negligence or misconduct includes but not limited to the following:
• Repeated absence without leave;
• Inappropriate time charging on timesheets;
• Alcohol or drug abuse;
• Negligent use of office property and/or facilities;
• Gambling on Moraa’s premises;
• Dual employment in an activity related to office activities;
• Misrepresentation of Moraa’s work.
An employee who has received two written warnings, will be separated with cause if the
offense or problem is repeated a third time.
All Letters of Warning will be issued by the Human Resources Section. All letters will have
the pre-approval of the Supervisor and Head of Department. Moraa requires that staff
receiving the Letter of Warning will acknowledge receipt of the Letter by signing it.
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IV. Personnel Administration
Work Hours
Moraa official working days are Saturday through Thursday. The official work day is 8 hours
excluding one hour for lunch. The official office hours are as follows:
Normal working hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with 1 hour lunch/prayer break)
Winter: November 1 to March 21 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (30 minute lunch break)
Ramadan: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (1/2 hour break for prayers, no lunch)
The regular working hours of non-program and non-office staff (such as guards,
housekeepers, and drivers) may differ from these hours because of the particular duties
they perform.
Timesheets
All staff members are required to report their time on a monthly basis, using Moraa’s
timesheet. On the timesheet, they should indicate the total number of hours worked. It is
the responsibility of each staff person to submit timesheets on time and prior to departure
for any vacation or other related leave. Staff members are responsible for submitting their
timesheets per the established monthly deadline (end of each month), so that the payroll
can be processed in a timely manner.
Salary
Moraa has a salary range for each position that reflects the qualifications and experience
needed to perform the duties of the position, the level of responsibility of the position, and
to allow for the range of background and experience of the individual in the position.
Salary Payment and Pay Periods
Salaries are paid to the employees on a monthly basis through electronically transferred into
an account established with the bank approved by Moraa’s management.
Salary Review and Adjustments
The Human Resource Section will review the salary of all employees before the end of the
fiscal year to determine if a Living Allowance increase for all employees is deemed
necessary. The total salary increase will be dependent on the availability of funds in the
Moraa’s operating budget. Moraa management may also approve at any time during the year
a salary structure adjustment tied to a specific job title.
a. Salary Increases: by the approval of the management, Moraa may provide salary
increases to staff at the time of the annual performance review process based on an
assessment of the overall salary structure. The salary increases are not automatic, but
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subject to availability of funds and other organizational factors. In the case of
promotion or a salary increase related to a promotion, any salary increase will be
applied on a pro-rated basis from the date of the salary change.
The Moraa surveys to other comparable organizations periodically to determine if the salary
structure is competitive. If the review indicates that salary structure adjustments are needed
for all or any specific positions, then the management can take the decision on the amount of
the increase. The increase will be based on the actual salary ranges offered during the
preceding year by organizations with activities similar to Moraa.
Method and Currency of Payment
All employee’s compensation is subject to taxes according to Afghan Income Tax Laws. All
salary payments for staff are in Afghani (AFS) currency and payable on a monthly basis in
accordance with submission of a monthly timesheet. All employee salaries will be
electronically transferred into an account established with the bank approved by the Moraa
management.
Salary Advances
Moraa does not extend to any employee as part of its benefit package, salary advances or
salary loans. However, Senior Management may decide on the most urgent cases for Salary
Advance on a case-by-case basis.
Annual /Vacation Leave
Employees will earn 12 days of vacation leave per year, accrued at a rate of 1.00 day
per month. Vacation and sick leave benefits will be calculated from the initial date of
employment.
Scheduling and Approval
Employees are not allowed to take advance vacation leave without the written approval of
their direct supervisors. Before approval, the leave application form must be verified by the
Human Resource Section for leave balance verification and then it should go to his/her direct
supervisor for obtaining of final approval. The request must be submitted one week in
advance to allow proper planning for coverage of the staff person’s duties and
responsibilities. If the staff person fails to obtain advance approval, those days may be treated
as leave without pay. Timesheets should be submitted before the leave is taken and should
attach the leave form.
Leave without Pay
Any leave taken beyond annual leave, sick leave, Hajj leave, bereavement leave,
maternity/paternity leave, administrative leave, and public holidays, is considered unpaid
leave. An employee who wishes to take unpaid leave must have the prior approval of the
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Supervisor and the Head of the Human Resource Section. The total period of unpaid leave
cannot exceed thirty (10) working days per calendar year, except by approval of Moraa
management.
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Unused Annual Leave
It is expected that vacation leave will be used during the year it is earned. Vacation leave is
not vested in excess of 20 days as of December 31 each year. That is, unused vacation leave
in excess of 20 days will be forfeited and deleted from the staff member’s leave balance.
Holiday Occurring During All Types of Leave
When a holiday, Friday occurs during the period of an employee’s annual leave, sick leave
or other leave situation, those holidays or Fridays will not be charged as leave days.
Sick Leave Amount & Accrual
The employees accrue a maximum of 12 sick days annually. Accrual will be at a rate of 1 day
per calendar month, commencing on the date of hire. Staff members are expected to inform
supervisors if they will not come to the office due to illness, or if they leave work early due to
illness. Sick leave can be used in the cases of sickness or injury, pregnancy, medical or dental
appointment, optical examination, or to care for an immediate family member. There is no
limit to the amount of sick leave that may be accrued; however, unused sick leave is not
vested and therefore employees are not entitled to payment for any unused leave at the time
of separation
Absence for illness in excess of 12 working days per year will be approved by the Moraa
management on an individual basis utilizing accrued sick leave, advance sick leave, accrued
vacation leave, or leave without pay as appropriate.
Hajj Leave
All Muslim employees will be provided with 25 working days of paid leave to perform the
Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) once in his/her employment. Staff members are required to
provide one-month advance notice.
Official/Public Holidays
Moraa is allowed to observe total official holidays each year. These holidays may correspond
to Afghanistan public holidays. Each year, in December when the Government of
Afghanistan issues a list of official holidays, the Human Resources will review the list, and
propose to the Moraa, the holidays to be taken during the calendar year. The proposed list
will be discussed with staff and adjusted accordingly. The final decision on the list will be
made by the Moraa management.
Marriage Leave
Marriage leave is provided to employees for a period of up to Five (5) working days.
Staff members are required to provide two-week advance notice.
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Paternity Leave
Paternity leave is provided to male employees for a period of up to five (2) working days
immediately following the birth for each of the father's first two children.
Maternity Leave
Maternity leave is provided for a period of up to 60 working days for each of the first two
pregnancies for female staff members. Maternity leave may be combined with vacation
and/or sick leave to lengthen the duration, not to exceed four calendar months. Any leave
taken for the birth of a third or subsequent child will be deducted from sick leave and/or
vacation leave. The request for maternity leave must be submitted in writing at least three
months before the beginning of the leave period. It is recognized that the actual date on which
maternity leave will begin is subject to the physician’s recommendation. Maternity leave
cannot be accrued or vested. For any employee resigning during or immediately following
the maternity leave, they must follow the regular 30 days’ notice required for resignation.
Bereavement Leave
Bereavement leave is time off with pay to attend the funeral and otherwise fulfil the social
obligation associated with the death of a close family member defined as a parent, child,
spouse, sibling, grandparent or parent-in-law, sister, brother, uncles, aunts and cousins. Up
to 3 days of paid leave are granted to the employee for bereavement leave.
Moraa policy is to grant bereavement leave with no limit on the number of times it may be
taken during the term of employment. The employee should verbally notify his/her
supervisor as soon as possible after the death and complete a leave form once he/she is
returned to office for his normal activities.
Official/Work Related Travel Expenses/Per Diem
An employee is requested or requesting to travel will contact the relevant authorize person
within his or her department, and have the travel request approved by his or her direct
supervisor.
Travel request forms must be approved by the Security focal point at Moraa for clearance
prior to submission. The completed travel request form should be submitted to the relevant
Finance section for issuing any travel advance to the employee. A copy of each request will
be placed in the employee’s personnel file.
All female employees who are required to undertake official travel both inside and outside
Afghanistan can have their ‘Mahram’ travel with them. A “mahram” is defined as a male
relative, usually a father/husband/brother/adult son of the female employee. Moraa will
cover the regular per diem costs, provided the approval for the same is received prior to the
travel.
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• Field visits are part of an employee’s job and travel must be done in a cost effective
manner keeping consistency among Moraa’s field offices. This travel policy is
applicable to all national regular staff
• An Employee Expense Report should be completed for settlement of all travel
expenses. Trip expenses must be settled within 5 days from the date of return from
travel.
• All travel advances that are not settled by the relevant deadline will be deducted from
the staff salary. Any travel expenses settled after the deadline will not be eligible for
reimbursement.
Per diems
Per diems are issued to cover travel costs, food, accommodation and any other expenses
incurred by a national employee while on travel. Prior to travelling, national employees must
complete the travel request form available from the departmental designated authority. The
number of days paid will be based on the number of nights away on official business. The per
diem allowance is equivalent to AFS 1000.00 per night for staff working away from their
designated duty station.
Reimbursement
All work--‐related transport costs from the work station to the destination or other work--‐
related transport costs incurred at destination will reimbursed against invoices or bills to be
provided by the national employee to the relevant Finance section. In the event that lodging
and/or food costs are pre--‐paid or part of an all--‐inclusive price, the national employee will
be reimbursed against actual official expenses not covered by the all--‐inclusive price stated
above. On return from travel, national employees are required to submit expense reports to
the relevant Finance section for clearance of the travel advance not later than 5 work days
after return from travel.
Communication Allowance
This memo is to replace the current provisions under Mobile Phone Policy. Effective
October 1, 2014, all staff will be eligible for a flat amount of 1500 AFS towards
reimbursement of phone expenses, irrespective of the individual phone billing. The pro-rated
amount representing this allowance will be added to the bi-weekly payroll.
Eid Bonus
All staff of the Moraa who worked a full calendar year are entitled to receive an annual Eid-
ul-Fitr bonus equivalent to 1/2 their monthly base salary, payable with the regular payroll of
the pay period preceding Eid-ul-Fitr. The bonus for employees who have worked less than a
full year at Moraa, including probationary employees, will be prorated based on the number
of full calendar months worked.
Uniforms
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Moraa provides uniforms for guards, drivers, cooks, housekeepers and logistics helper
employees. It is expected that staff member will wear the uniforms while on duty. Each of
the above identified staff members will be provided with one pair of shoes per year, two
summer and two winter uniforms per year, and one coat every two (2) years. It is the
responsibility of staff to keep their uniforms clean.
End of Contract Close Out
The end of contract close-out is applicable for employees leaving Moraa or country for good
at the end of their contract.
Generally when a staff leaves at the end of their contract, that individual is responsible for
doing a thorough handover, turning in office keys, cleaning out desk, return office equipment,
clear financial issues, submit final report and clean computer. Below find detail explanation
that corresponds with Close-Out form. Pease refer to annex to see Close-out form.
Technical Close-Out
Staff leaving the office should plan to organize and leave all soft copies of documents backed
up on the server; have a short out-brief with your supervisor; as per your contract draft a final
report and provide written information to the office on the outcome of your assignment.
Finally it is important to leave information about one’s forwarding address and contact
information should we need to be in touch with you on anything in the future.
Administration Clearance
Moraa is responsible for providing employees with proper office equipment to do their jobs
effectively but also expects to have it returned in good working condition at the end of the
contract with Moraa. The Administration department is responsible for distribution and
managing of the office assets and office equipment such as computers, mobile phones, SIM
cards, VHF Radios etc. One day prior to departure, the employee must return equipment to
the Administration department. Failing to return equipment will result to withholding of the
final payment of his/her salary.
When returning equipment, if it is badly damaged, then the custodian responsible shall be
penalized and the value calculated for repair (if repairable) or evaluate charges if not
repairable, shall be charged and deducted from the final payment of his/her salary.
Finance Clearance
For Moraa’s Financial services, the staff is responsible for submitting final invoice/time sheet
and clear outstanding advances five working days prior to the date of his/her departure. The
staff is also required to verify and confirm banking information to ensure final payments
reach the person’s account.
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V. General Information
Personal Use of Moraa’s Assets
Moraa understands that staff members may, from time to time, make personal use of the
office assets such as equipment (computers, photocopiers), premises, vehicles, and
telephones. However, in all cases this should be minimal /nominal. Violations of this
“minimal use” are subject to disciplinary action. Personal use of vehicles during office hours
limits their availability for official needs and in all cases must be marked in the vehicle log,
Personal phone calls during the work day should be kept short and few in number.
Photocopying of a page or two is considered “minimal use” but photocopying of lengthy
materials for use outside the office is not. All assets are provided for official use and are
expected to be available for those purposes.
Confidential Information
Any confidential information provided to employees during the course of his or her work is
not to be made public during or after the period of employment with Moraa. This includes
but is not limited to project and institutional recipient information, financial information,
internal discussions, human resources information, and security-related measures in any
form – written, electronic, or verbal. Any violation of the confidentiality policy will lead to
disciplinary action up to and including dismissal of the employee. Any charges for violation
of the confidentiality policy after the period of employment with Moraa will be dealt with on
a case-by-case basis by Senior Management based on the recommendations of the Human
Resources Section. All information relating to any employee remuneration arrangements are
to be treated as confidential.
Gratuities, Kickbacks and Bribery
Bribery is giving or receiving money, free trips, meals, or other gifts in exchange for
information, No employee may give or receive gifts, favors or kickbacks that are intended, or
appear to be intended, to influence the conduct of personal or professional affairs. If any such
gift is offered or asked for, the employee is to report the incident immediately to the Senior
Management. Examples of bribery include asking for and accepting, directly or indirectly,
any payment, gift or other advantage for performing or failing to perform duties in
connection with any kind of transaction or recruitment. Employees found to accept or share
in gratuities, kickbacks, and bribery will be subject to disciplinary action and/or termination
with cause.
Grievance Procedure
Every effort will be made to settle grievances informally and promptly at the supervisory
level. If a staff person is dissatisfied with the outcome, he or she may request a meeting with
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the Senior Management. The request should specify the nature of the grievance, background
information, and the resolution required.
Examples of matters that may be considered under the Grievance Procedure includes;
• Physical working conditions.
• Performance Review.
• Disciplinary action.
• Unpaid overtime (for eligible staff members).
• Policies or regulations of Moraa.
Employment of Relatives
The employees may refer friends and relatives to the Human Resources Section for possible
employment with Moraa. Such referrals are processed in accordance with the regular
procedures used for all applicants. The employment of relatives who are qualified for
employment at Moraa is subject to the following policy provisions.
• Close relatives and members of the same household cannot be employed in
positions where one has supervisory responsibility for the other or makes
employment decisions pertaining to the other. Close relatives are defined as the
employee's spouse, parents, In-laws, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts,
nieces, nephews, children or grandchildren.
• If the new hire employee is close relative of the current staff member, it must be
disclosed by the new hire staff member on the Personal History Form or in the
application. If it is disclosed later, it will be subject to disciplinary action.
• In situations where two employees become close relatives by marriage and one
has supervisory responsibility for the other or makes employment decisions
pertaining to the other, one of the individuals will be required to affect a
transfer or termination within ninety (90) days of the marriage.
Non-Discrimination, Non-Retaliation and Harassment Policy
Moraa is committed to establishing and maintaining a work environment in which all
individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a
professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits
discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, the Moraa expects that all
relationships among persons in the office will be business-like and free of bias, prejudice and
harassment.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Moraa is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This means that we will extend equal opportunity
to all individuals without regard for race, ethnicity, religion, color, sex, national origin, age,
disability, handicaps or veterans status. This policy affirms Moraa’s commitment to the
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principles of fair employment and the elimination of all vestiges of discriminatory practices
that might exist. We encourage all employees to take advantage of opportunities for
promotion as they occur.
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Prohibited Conduct
Harassment includes any unwelcome verbal, physical or visual conduct that denigrates,
shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or his/her relatives, friends or associates.
Harassing conduct also has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an
individual's work performance, or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working
environment or otherwise affecting an individual's employment opportunities.
Some examples of conduct which may constitute prohibited harassment include but are
not limited to the following:
1. Lewd or sexually suggestive comments;
2. Unwelcome sexual advances;
3. Explicit sexual propositions;
4. Sexual innuendo;
5. Requests for sexual acts or favors (with or without accompanying promises or
threats of reciprocal favors or actions);
6. Foul or obscene language or gestures;
7. Sexually oriented "kidding," "teasing," or "practical jokes";
8. Display of foul, obscene, or sexually explicit printed or visual material,
including pictures, greeting cards, articles, books, magazines, photos, or
cartoons;
9. Physical contact such as patting, pinching, or intentionally brushing against another's
body; or
10. Slurs, jokes or degrading comments concerning gender, gender-specific traits, age,
race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability.
Personal Appearance
Moraa requires that all employees maintain a suitable professional appearance. The
employee should follow simple measures of personal hygiene and select clothing that is
clean and comfortable yet maintains the high degree of professionalism set by the office in
general. All employees may dress in business attire appropriate for an office environment
and are expected to dress for an office setting where high-level visitors may come to
Moraa at any time. Examples of inappropriate dress are, but are not limited to, clothing
that is too tight or revealing, cropped shirts or casual tank tops, short pants, micro-mini
skirts, clothing with holes, message T-shirts (no profanity or political messages), casual
flip flops.
Safety and Security
Employee’s personal security is important to the Moraa. For this reason, we retain a Security
Section who advise us and keeps us informed about the security environment in Kabul and
the provinces. Newly arrived staff members will receive a personal security briefing by
Security shortly after their arrival. Regular security summaries are provided by email. These
are supported by all-staff security briefings as the situation demands.
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VI. Employee Recruitment and Selection
Identifying Staffing Requirements
Clearly, the first step in any recruitment effort is to identify the need to have a job done.
Identifying the need and obtaining approval for the position (Recruitment Requisition Form)
and developing the appropriate TOR or position description. Approval and recruitment are
also subject to availability of funds.
Moraa is committed to a policy of non--‐discrimination. As an Equal Opportunity Employer,
Moraa evaluates candidates and national employees on the basis of merit, competence and
qualifications. Applicants and national employees have the right to equal treatment without
discrimination, on the basis of race, place of origin, color, ethnic origin, citizenship, gender,
sexual orientation, economic status, education, training, job level and responsibilities,
culture, age, record of offences, marital status, handicap or any other such characteristics.
ToR/Position Description
A TOR/Position Description is a detailed description of the required job and a necessary tool
for the individual doing the recruiting. A precise TOR allows the recruiter to know what the
requesting Work Unit is looking for and the actual or prospective employee to know what is
expected of him/her. Moraa policy is that a TOR will be developed by the individual Work
Unit, Department, program, etc. who has identified the need and will be supervising the
position. Assistance from the Human Resources Section is available for reviewing and
consulting. However, the TOR is the responsibility of the requestor to write and finalize and
until it is approved by the Senior Management commencement of any recruitment effort
should not occur.
Selection and Selection Criteria
Selection Criteria are basically the ideal qualifications that a candidate for a position should
possess. They are the preferred mix of skills, experience, and personality traits that the
Human Resources Section believes would allow the individual to do the best job possible.
Selection criteria are usually developed for the position, are included in the TOR/Position
Description, and are approved by the Head of the respective department or program.
Selection criteria are the basis for judging employment applications, conducting interviews,
selection testing, and checking references.
Selection Process
Moraa has hired a well-trained, disciplined and capable Human Resource Management
Staff. Moraa policy for selection requires that the Human Resource Section be
responsible for the oversight management for recruitment and selection of all
employment candidates.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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121
Applications, skills testing, and interviews are the tools that the Human Resource Section
uses for narrowing down the choices to the most suitable candidates. Human Resource
Section will be responsible for preparing the necessary position or job vacancy
announcements; the collection of all candidate CVs; maintaining the received job
applications and CVs register; distribution of all received CVs to and from the requesting
activity; arranging for and facilitating all selection testing and scoring of the tests; arranging
the selection interview schedule; and participating in all selection interview Committees.
Selection Committees
Moraa’s policy is that more than one person should be involved in the selection of job
candidates in order to ensure transparency and accountability. It is Moraa’s policy to convene
a Selection Committee to select all short-listed employment candidates, usually three (3)
finalists determined by the requesting department.
Another Selection Committee is responsible for the interview stage of the recruitment
process. Moraa requires that the interview committee have gender diversity, including at least
one female staff member, a member from HR Department, a member from the hiring unit,
and possibly one from another relevant department.
The Human Resource Section is responsible for the recruitment process and therefore will
oversee the notification of Selection Committee members who will act as interviewers for
selection interviews. All Selection Committee Members will arrive at the interview with a
prepared list of questions they think appropriate for asking the candidate. The HR Section
will be responsible for providing copies of all CVs for those candidates appearing at a
specific interview along with a Selection Committee Candidate scoring form. The
composition of the Selection Committee will vary depending on which work unit requested
the job vacancy to be filled.
At all candidate interviews a member of the HR Section’s staff will play an active role as a
Selection Committee Member and ensure relevant information for the candidate in relation to
working at Moraa is conveyed.
Interview Panel members shall ensure strict confidentiality, transparency and integrity of the
recruitment process. The final decisions on the recommendation of candidates should be
made solely by the majority of the Interview Panel, without any influence from external
individuals and HR will proceed with next step of the recruitment once received the final
decision by panel members. Throughout the selection process, Interview Panel members
should keep confidentiality of the recruitment and shall not provide any information about
the interview process to the candidates.
The composition of the Interview Panel shall remain the same during the whole selection
process. However, additional persons may participate in parts of the selection process (face-
to-face interviews), on the condition that the original Panel members are present.
Reference Checks
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122
Reference checks are required as part of the recruitment process. The purpose is to verify the
information given by a candidate about him/her and to gain further insight into the
candidate’s abilities, character and work habits from outsiders who are familiar with the
candidate. References are usually obtained from the candidate along with his/her permission
to make contact with them. At least two references must be professional references from
previous employers and/or teacher who have experience with the candidate’s initiative,
motivation and work habits. A personal reference may be accepted. Moraa’s policy is that at
least three reference checks must be completed for each serious candidate and shall be filed
for the necessary selection decisions.
FEMALE FACULTY RECRUITMENT
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123
Salary
Moraa’s Human Resources Section is responsible for all salary related matters with the
selected candidate. The offered salary will be based on the office salary structure according
to the approved salary scale.
Offer of Employment and Employment Contract
Employees will be given an offer of employment describing the terms and conditions of their
appointment, including salary level. The Employment Contract will include the monthly
gross salary, allowances and other benefits, and terms and conditions of employment
including adherence to the policies and procedures in the Employee Handbook. The
Employment Contract attaches a copy of the Position Description. Both the Offer of
Employment and the Employment Contract must be signed by the Moraa.
Probation Period
Probation is a specific period of time at the beginning of employment during which the
employer and employee evaluate each other for work area climate and ability to perform
required duties. The office policy is that all employees are hired on probation. There will be a
standard (3) three-month probationary period for all employees recruited on a long-term
contract basis. If a new employee’s performance is found unsatisfactory during the
probationary period, Moraa maintains the right to dismiss him/her with one week’s notice. In
such cases, the employee will still be entitled to payments for the days worked but not for
other allowances other than transportation if applicable.
New Staff Orientation
The first several days of work for new employees will include an orientation to the policies &
procedures and an explanation of the individual’s responsibilities. Each orientation
component is stated as follows:
• Moraa Overview
• Specific Job responsibilities
• Policies and Procedures
Personnel file
HR department will retain a personnel file for each individual employee, the file will include
the following documents:
1. Recruitment Requisition Form
2. Vacancy announcement
3. Job application form
4. Long list and short list
5. Test and Interview report
6. Curriculum Vitae, Qualifications, credentials and working experience documents
7. Reference check
8. Job offer and contract
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124
9. Leave records
10. Performance evaluations and amendments or any others (if available)
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Human Resources Policy Manual Approval
This is to certify that the Human Resource Policy Manual has been formulated in the light
of the relevant current and applicable Afghan laws and contains information on personnel
policies & procedures for all full-time and part-time regular national staff working for
Moraa in Afghanistan. The policy has been reviewed and issued for employees. Employees
are encouraged to get known to this handbook, it explains HR applicable operating policies
and procedures.
Please address any questions, concerns, or suggestions to the Human Resources section of
Moraa.
The manual is prepared and approved as below:
Approved by President: Approved by Board:
______________________________________
_______________________________________
Name & Position Name & Position
______________________________________
_______________________________________
Signature Signature
______________________________________
_______________________________________
Date Date
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Introduction: Education for women has been a challenge in Afghanistan and many women have been marginalized and deprived from access to education due to lack of female faculty. This dissertation discusses how the administrative staff of Moraa Educational Complex (MEC) can find and recruit qualified female faculty. ❧ Methods: Surveys were given to thirteen members of the MEC administration and interviews were conducted with all of them to assess their Knowledge, motivation and organization gaps of the administrative staff of MEC. ❧ Results: The majority of the administrative staff at MEC reported to lack information about where and how they can find qualified female faculty. The staff reported motivational barriers such as lack of autonomy, interference and hypocrisy in MEC. ❧ Conclusion: The MEC administrative staff need capacity building training, logistic and organizational support and more autonomy in order to be empowered to find, recruit and retain qualified female faculty.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Amir, Azizullah
(author)
Core Title
Recruitment of women faculty to staff a gender appropriate university in Afghanistan: an innovation study
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Global Executive
Publication Date
08/02/2017
Defense Date
08/02/2017
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
faculty,Female,OAI-PMH Harvest,recruitment
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Ahmadi, Shafiqa (
committee chair
), Cole, Darnell (
committee member
), Filback, Robert (
committee member
)
Creator Email
amira@usc.edu,azizamirb@gmail.com
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-422316
Unique identifier
UC11263253
Identifier
etd-AmirAzizul-5676.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-422316 (legacy record id)
Legacy Identifier
etd-AmirAzizul-5676.pdf
Dmrecord
422316
Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Amir, Azizullah
Type
texts
Source
University of Southern California
(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
Access Conditions
The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Tags
faculty