Alignment between Curriculum, Teaching & Assessment Sardar Mohammad Sarwan

Afghanistan third National Education Strategic Plan (NESP III) Contents Afghanistan third National Education Strategic Plan (NESP III) MoE’s programs & their overall goals Agencies Responsible for Curriculum development, Teaching & Assessment The issues & Challenges

Afghanistan third National Education Strategic Plan (NESP III) (NESP III) is developed to provide direction for Afghan education for 2015-2020 and to help the country achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Education for All objectives by 2020. The MoE’s stakeholders – MoE employees at center, provinces, and districts, donors and other development partners, relevant ministries, civil societies, and private sector— were all engaged in this process.

MoE’s priority programs & their overall goals Program 1) general and Islamic education Program 2) curriculum development & Teachers Education Program 3) technical and vocational education and trainings (TVET) Program 4) literacy Program 5) education administration development

Program 1 General and Islamic Education Overall Goal: To provide equitable access to quality education for all school-age children without any discrimination, and to develop students’ competencies necessary for a healthy individual, family, and social life, and for continuing their education up to higher levels.

Program 2) curriculum development & Teachers Education Sub-program 2-1) Curriculum Development Overall goal: To provide quality textbooks and teacher guides according to the new curriculum framework and Islamic and national values in the light of academic standards, and current and future needs of the society.

Program 2) curriculum development & Teachers Education Sub-program 2-2) Teacher Education Overall goal: To provide professional cadre (male and female) for general and Islamic schools, and to develop general and Islamic teachers’ basic competencies (males and females) in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning according to the Islamic and national values, without any kind of regional, linguistic, and ethnic discrimination

Technical and Vocational Education and Trainings (TVET) Overall goal: To provide relevant and quality technical and vocational education to both males and females in order to enable them to meet the requirements of the labor market in Afghanistan and the region, and to contribute to equitable and balanced development of the country.

Program 4) Literacy Overall goal: To increase literacy rate for Afghan women and men aged 15 and above to acquire necessary competencies for fulfilling their roles as parents, workers, and citizens, and to provide them with further education opportunities.

Program 5) Education Administration Development Overall Goal: To provide effective, efficient, and transparent support services and facilities for successful implementation of education programs throughout the country; and to increase the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, and transparency of Ministry of Education performance at the strategic level within the framework of national laws and international commitments.

Agencies Responsible for Curriculum, Teaching & Assessment Curriculum Curriculum Development Department Teaching Teachers Education Department Assessment Learning Assessment Unit

Curriculum development Department Policies or frameworks that guide curriculum: Evaluate the curriculum implementation in schools Assign textbook authors to teach the textbooks invite experienced teachers to assist and advise textbook authors in the revision of textbooks consult with civil society, students, parents and other stakeholders for improving the curriculum

Teachers Education Department Policies or Frameworks that guide teaching: Develop all General and Islamic teachers’ basic competencies for quality teaching Develop General and Islamic school administrators’ competencies for quality school management Increase the number of TTC students (In-service and pre-service) Increase the number of TTC teachers Construct TTC complexes, and teacher education centers

Learning Assessment Unit Conducts a curriculum audit to find out what is being taught and if it is consistent between teachers in a building and among teachers within a province and district. Aligns key concepts identified in the curriculum to standards to determine gaps and overlaps. Finds out the instructional approaches that teachers are using and how they students are learning.

The Issues & Challenges Untrained teachers Shortage of school buildings Insecurity in some provinces Lack of dormitories to accommodate students from insecure areas Low capacity in school management Poverty and working children Low quality of education Shortage of female teachers in higher grades Lack of necessary facilities in schools such as toilets, drinking water, and surrounding walls Early marriages

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