Achievements and challenges Afghanistan Ministry of Education The Right to Education Achievements and challenges January 2014

Context Land area: 652,090 square kilometres Population: 27.5 million (2013) Under-five mortality: 101 per 1,000 live births (2011) Maternal mortality: 460 per 100,000 live births (2010) Life expectancy: 49 years (2011) Human Development Index: 0.374, 175th of 187 countries rated (2012)

Background Global Partnership for Education Afghanistan Government among others were able to: Adopt Free and Compulsory education in 1964 Sign and ratify CRC and two optional protocols, Constitution, EFA, ANDS, NESP and National Strategy for Children at Risk in 2006. National Constitution of Afghanistan article 43 “education is the right of all citizens” Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) National Education Strategy Plan (NESP) Global Partnership for Education

Context Since fall of Taliban in 2002 school enrolment increased from 900,000 to over 8.3 million. 12-13 million school age children only 40% of schools have sanitation facilities and 37% have improved drinking water. persistently low rates of literacy and significant gender and rural- urban gaps : 62% of urban men and 33% of urban women are literate, compared with only 35% of rural men and 7% of rural women.

41 % of 8.3 million children enrolled in school are girls Achievements 41 % of 8.3 million children enrolled in school are girls In last 12 years, over 6,500 schools have been constructed or rehabilitated, and today around 50% of schools have decent buildings. .

Achievments National curriculum that promotes active learning methods Community-based education (CBE) classes to provide basic education to children in remote and marginal areas.

School Shuras

Context for teacher education over 207,000 (34% of them women). Almost 50% of teachers are under-qualified less than 14 years of education. No female teachers in over 50% of districts. Teachers’ certification and TTC accreditation system development underway

Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) 44 main TTCs and over 180 Teacher Development Centers (TDCs) In 2013, over 72,000 students (54% women) are studying in seven academic areas 11/21/2018

Initiative to increase female teachers Scholarship for female students Quality and gender grants to Teacher Training colleges Regional Allowance to TTC faculty members

Global Partneship for Education Four GPE Program Priorities – three aiming directly at interventions in and around schools, and the fourth focusing on streamlining policy and administrative systems Strengthening community and social mobilization and governance systems at the local level; Expanding and reinforcing multiple pathways to education; Increasing the number of qualified female teachers in areas with high gender disparities; Streamlining policy and administrative systems in the Ministry of Education.

Challenges Rural VS urban disparity. Gender disparity About 3.5 million school-age children are out of school, around 75% of whom are girls. The percentage of female teachers also varies considerably by province. Females constitute only 1%, 3% and 4% of teachers in the provinces of Paktika, Khost and Uruzgan whereas in Kabul and Balkh they represent 73% and 51%, respectively. Insecurity Urban primary enrolment (55%) is much higher than rural (35%), while more boys enrol than girls in both urban (58%/52%) and rural (41%/28%) areas

Other socio- economic and cultural factors Reduce disparity in relation to; Geography Gender Ethnicity Disability Other socio- economic and cultural factors

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