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Education
EDUCATION SNAPSHOT
170,000 students enrolled in
accelerated learning program,
58% girls
524 schools have been constructed
or refurbished and
completing 130 more
49 million text books were
translated in Dari and Pashtu
and printed and distributed
15,360 teachers, professors
and community based
teachers and 124 teacher
trainers and administrators
trained
6,500 teachers trained via
radio
Education Profile
(pdf - 142k)
CONTACTS
Mission Director
Robin Phillips
USAID/Kabul
6180 Kabul Place
Dulles, VA 20189-6180
Tel: 873-762-311955
Desk Officer
Caroline Brearley
Tel: (202) 712-0324
Email: cbrearley@usaid.gov
www.usaid.gov/afghanistan
Background
Afghanistan has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world. In rural
areas, where three-fourths of all Afghans live, 90% of the women and
63% of the men are illiterate. Nearly three-quarters of Afghans over the
age of 15 cannot read or write. Under the Taliban, girls were not allowed
to go to school and many boys received religious education in lieu of
academics. The legacy of prohibiting women to work and men fighting
wars meant a lack of technical job skills for the majority of the population.
The implications of this lack of education can be felt in all domains of life.
For example, Afghans lacked access to information about good health
practices; and most of the country’s judges do not have more than a high
school degree.
Program Overview
USAID’s education strategy was designed in 2002 to meet the urgent
need for textbooks, schools, new curricula, and trained teachers. Under
the Taliban girls and boys were denied an education. USAID funded an
accelerated learning program providing a chance for students denied an
education to get caught up to their appropriate grade level. The program
assistance was extended for another year for students to complete sixth
grade. The education program was expanded to include radio-based
teacher training, higher education programs and literacy training for
workforce development. In 2004, new education projects were designed
to meet the educational needs of Afghanistan.
Improving Basic Education
Increasing access to quality primary and secondary schools is a program
priority. USAID is improving basic education through programs aimed at
strengthening ministry capacity, improving teacher performance and
skills development, and ensuring adequate school materials and environments
for learning.
Because Afghans lost years of formal schooling under the Taliban, many
students are not at their appropriate grade level. USAID created an accelerated
learning program, compressing two years of study into a single
year, through innovative teaching techniques. This program, and the new
2006-2010 programs, builds on past successes such as training approximately
15,360 teachers, professors, and community-based teachers,
as well as 124 teacher trainers and administrators. To support
curriculum needs, USAID printed and distributed over 49 million textbooks
nationwide in Dari and Pashto for grades 1-12. In 2006, USAID
provided funding for over 11 million new curriculum textbooks for grades
1, 2, 4, and 5.
Supporting Higher Education
USAID, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of
Higher Education, has developed a Strategic Plan for 2006 to 2010 which has expanded programs and introduced new initiatives including
linkage of universities, and providing technical assistance to targeted
institutions. USAID supports the American University of Afghanistan, a
private English language American-style university in Kabul, with an expected
enrollment of up to 1,000 students in 2008. A war-damaged
Women’s Dormitory at Kabul University was recently repaired and is now
operational—accommodating over 1,100 women, mainly from rural areas.
USAID also supports the International School of Kabul with an enrollment
of 270 students, 75% Afghan.
At 16 universities, USAID will upgrade the teacher training. In addition
USAID works with Balkh University Faculty of Agriculture (BUFA) in Mazar-
e-Sharif to modernize curriculum, teaching technologies, and techniques.
Electronic partnership with universities worldwide will develop
Afghans’ technical skills and knowledge, boosting their ability to participate
in the global economy while building and build their nation at home.
Expanding Non-Formal Education
Afghanistan has one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world. In many
villages, 95-100% of the women cannot read or write. While USAID’s
accelerated learning program re-integrates out-of-school children into the
formal educational system, USAID’s large scale literacy and occupational
skills program takes place outside the formal educational system and
focuses on providing literacy and skills training to older girls and women.
Over 9,500 students learned functional literacy, economic self-reliance,
grassroots democracy and women’s right through a Literacy and Community
Empowerment Program. Another 8,200 women learned literacy
skills and health education in a Learning for Life program, of which 300
qualified for further training as community health workers or midwives.
The establishment of the Women’s Teacher Training Institute in Kabul
also provides Afghans with access to training, materials, and modern
teaching techniques. It supports the development of practical literacy,
numeracy, and life skills. New projects will expand literacy training in rural
communities.
School Construction
In conjunction with the Ministry of Education, USAID is building schools
in rural areas. Since 2002, USAID has built or refurbished 524 schools,
mostly in remote areas. Another 130 are currently under construction.
Implementing Partners
More Information
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