Abstract
Comparasion of Higher Education in Turkey and Religious Edication in Afghanistan
Religion is an important factor that influences and shapes the moral values, history, political, social and cultural structures of a society. After having accepted the religion of Islam, Afghanistan made important developments in the field of science and lore. However, due to the never-ending war, scientific developments could not be sustained and have even lagged behind. Especially since Afghanistan has been at war for the last quarter of a century, the education system has seen considerable losses both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Afghanistan has a cultural mosaic if we consider its ethnic structure. Therefore, it has a rich and varied socio-cultural structure. Its society's common ground is largely religion. Educating its generations according to the fundamental principles of Islam is a top priority of the general objectives of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Afghanistan. In this context, religious education courses are taught as mandatory from primary level to all higher levels in all the educational institutions of Afghanistan.
After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, the "Law on Unity of Education"[Tevhid-i-Tedrisat] that had been adopted on the 3rd of March 1924 to unify the education system brought about a number of regulations in the field of religious education. In the past 25 years, religious education has undergone major improvements in spite of the fact that religious education in Turkey was hampered in some periods. While religious education courses at primary level are included as either optional or compulsory among other courses, religious courses falling under different departments such as International Islamic and Religious Sciences and Islamic Sciences Faculty alongside the Theology Faculties, are also being offered.
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