Academic Development lead Barira Shahid
Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Dubai continues to demonstrate its commitment to global education and social responsibility through the work of its academic community. Academic Development Lead and Senior Lecturer Barira Shahid is currently contributing to an international academic initiative that supports Afghan female students in continuing their education in architecture and design through online learning.
The initiative responds to the ongoing ban on women’s access to higher education in Afghanistan, which has left many female students unable to complete their degrees or progress professionally. By bringing together volunteer academics from around the world, the programme aims to sustain learning opportunities for women whose formal access to universities has been suspended.
Through her role as an online academic juror, Barira contributes to the review, mentoring, and evaluation of student work. This includes providing structured feedback, supporting academic development, and helping students maintain momentum in their studies during an extended period of uncertainty.
“Despite unstable internet, limited devices, and constant digital barriers, these students adapt with quiet determination. They plan around power cuts, manage asynchronous learning carefully, and use online spaces to protect their identity as students. What stands out to me is that their resilience is deeply cognitive rather than emotional; visible in how deliberately they think, reflect, and stay academically focused. In digital spaces, learning becomes an act of resistance.”
The programme focuses on architecture and design, using architectural education not only to build technical competence but also to encourage sustainable thinking, social responsibility, empathy, and self-reliance. All academic contributions are made on a voluntary basis, reflecting a shared commitment to educational equity and global academic solidarity.
Launched nearly two years ago, the initiative introduced two online architecture courses tailored to early-level and advanced-level learners. While these courses do not replace formal university education, they play a vital role in strengthening academic knowledge at a time when women are legally prohibited from enrolling in higher education institutions. As a result of these restrictions, female architecture graduates are unable to practise professionally, and many students who were mid-degree remain in limbo.
Through online teaching, academic mentoring, and jury-based assessment, the initiative provides continuity in learning while maintaining hope for improved circumstances in the future. Barira’s involvement highlights Æß²ÊÖ±²¥ Dubai’s wider commitment to extending the impact of education beyond borders and supporting inclusive access to knowledge, even in the most challenging contexts.