Thirty law professors and 50 law students from across Afghanistan recently gathered in Kabul for the first day of an intensive five-week Academic Legal English (ALE) program.  Sponsored by USAID, this one of a kind program is designed to help Afghan legal professionals obtain advanced law degrees abroad so that they can return to Afghanistan and impart their knowledge to the next generation of students, lawyers, and judges. This year’s entering class is among some of the country’s best and brightest legal minds. The 50 law student participants were chosen from a pool of over 200 applicants and successfully underwent a rigorous written exam, as well as a panel of interviews.  Without the intensive education and training this program has to offer, most of these students would not be in a position to compete for highly selective and prestigious international scholarships.  During his remarks to the entering class, Nekmatullah Khostwal, a recent graduate of the program, spoke of his experience stating, “I remember sitting where you are just a few years ago and how much my life has changed since I took this course. This program has opened doors for me that would not have otherwise even been an option.  It allowed me to cross almost insurmountable borders and barriers to travel to the United States so I could get my LLM.”

USAID/Afghanistan Program Highlights: 1/15/2011-1/31/2011