Farida Momand
Farida Momand | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Farida Momand (right) with Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Marina Kaljurand in 2016 | |
| Minister of Higher Education | |
| In office 2015–2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
| Occupation | Doctor |
Farida Momand (born 14 January 1965) is an Afghan doctor and politician who serves as Minister of Higher Education.
Early life and education
[edit]Momand was born in 1965 in the Momand Dara District of Nangarhar Province. She is of Pashtun descent. She studied at Rabia Balkhi High School and received a BA in Medicine from Kabul University.[1]
Career
[edit]Momand is a medical doctor and has worked in several government hospitals.[2] She was a professor at Kabul Medical University.[1] Her husband was a spokesman for the Northern Alliance which sought to keep the Taliban from power. When the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996, the family received death threats and fled to Pakistan.[1][3] They returned in November 2001, when Kabul was liberated.[3] Momand returned to the medical school and was appointed dean. She was also elected to represent female university students and employees.[3]
Momand was one of more than 400 candidates for Kabul Province in the 2005 parliamentary election.[4] She was also a candidate for the 2009 provincial election and the 2010 parliamentary election.[1]
Momand was appointed as Minister of Higher Education in the cabinet of President Ashraf Ghani in April 2015.[2][5] As Minister, she called for transparency in university examinations,[6] advocated for women in scholarship,[7] and supported the launch of the first programs in gender studies and women's studies at Kabul University.[8][9]
In 2016, the Wolesi Jirga began impeachment proceedings for ministers who had failed to spend more than 70% of their development budgets for the year.[10][11] Momand was one of seven ministers dismissed over four days.[1][12] She was summoned to report on her development budget spending for the year and when she did not appear on the day, was dismissed in her absence.[13] President Ghani called the dismissals "unjustifiable" and urged the Supreme Court to intervene,[10][14] while CEO Abdullah Abdullah urged the ministers to keep working until the relevant constitutional article was interpreted.[15][16][17]
Personal life
[edit]Momand is married to Habib Rayed and they have five children.[3][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Mohmand, Farida Mrs. Prof". Who is who in Afghanistan?.
- ^ a b "Four Women Were Just Approved to Join the Cabinet of Afghanistan's Unity Government". Feminist Newswire. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ a b c d Laughlin, Meg (26 November 2010). "For Afghan women, talks with Taliban threaten newfound freedom". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ a b Biswas, Soutik. "Photojournal: Afghan family's voting day". BBC. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "National Unity Government's 16 Cabinet Ministers Sworn in". Office of the President, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Farida Momand calls for transparency in university semesters tests". The Kabul Times. 17 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Access to Higher Education to Unleash Potential in Afghan Women". US AID. 29 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ Moosakhail, Zabihullah (18 October 2015). "Kabul University launches its First-Ever Master's Programme in Gender and Women's Studies". Khaama Press. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Kabul University Introduces First-Ever Master's Programme in Gender and Women's Studies". UNDP. 17 October 2015. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ a b Rostaye, Emad (16 November 2016). "No-confidence process ends; nine ministers win, seven lose". TV News. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Three Ministers Refused To Attend The Parliament". Middle East Press. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "MPs disqualify 7 ministers in a week". Heart of Asia. 16 November 2016. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "MPS dismiss another Minister, bringing total to six in three days". Kabul Tribune. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Afghan parliament dismisses Ministers despite opposition by President". India Live Today. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ Putz, Catherine (15 November 2016). "Afghan Parliament Goes on a Firing Spree". The Diplomat. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ Mashal, Mujib (15 November 2016). "Afghanistan Fires 7 From Cabinet in Intensifying Political Crisis". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ Shalizi, Hamid (14 November 2016). "Afghan leader defies parliament by telling sacked ministers to stay". Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2017.