Farida Momand

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Farida Momand
Farida Momand (right) with Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Marina Kaljurand in 2016
Minister of Higher Education
In office
2015–2016
Personal details
Born1965 (age 58–59)
OccupationDoctor

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]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Mohmand, Farida Mrs. Prof". Who is who in Afghanistan?.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b Biswas, Soutik. "Photojournal: Afghan family's voting day". BBC. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Three Ministers Refused To Attend The Parliament". Middle East Press. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ Putz, Catherine (15 November 2016). "Afghan Parliament Goes on a Firing Spree". The Diplomat. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  16. ^ Mashal, Mujib (15 November 2016). "Afghanistan Fires 7 From Cabinet in Intensifying Political Crisis". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  17. ^ Shalizi, Hamid (14 November 2016). "Afghan leader defies parliament by telling sacked ministers to stay". Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
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