Education of

Afghanistan

Tan Jun Yi

3P2

(29)

Introduction on Education in Afganistan

• Education in Afghanistan includes

kindergarten (4-6 years old), primary

school (7-12 years old), secondary school

(13-18 years old) and higher education.

• There are two different education

ministries: ministry of education and

ministry of higher education.

Introduction on Education in Afganistan

• Afghanistan is going through a nationwide

rebuilding process, and despite setbacks,

institutions are established all across the

country.

• By 2013 there were 10.5 million students

attending schools in Afghanistan, a

country which has around 27.5 million

people living in it.

The History• The government of the Democratic

Republic of Afghanistan stressed

education for both sexes, and

widespread literacy programmes were set

up.

• By 1988, women made up 40 percent of

the doctors and 60 percent of the

teachers at Kabul University

The History• 440,000 female students were also

enrolled in different educational institutions

and 80,000 more in literacy programs.

Wars• Despite improvements, 90% of the

population remained illiterate in 1979.

• this was because the Soviet invasion of

Afghanistan in 1979 and other successive

wars virtually destroyed the nation's

education system.

Wars• Most teachers fled during the wars to

neighbouring countries. In the middle of

the 1990s, about 650 schools were

functioning throughout the country.

The Taliban’s involvement

• In 1996 the Taliban regime restricted

education for females, and the Madrassa

(mosque school) became the main source

of primary and secondary education.

• About 1.2 million students were enrolled

in schools during the Taliban, with less

than 50,000 of them girls.

The Taliban’s involvement

• In 1996 the Taliban regime restricted

education for females, and the Madrassa

(mosque school) became the main source

of primary and secondary education.

• About 1.2 million students were enrolled

in schools during the Taliban, with less

than 50,000 of them girls.

The Taliban’s involvement

• In 1996 the Taliban regime restricted

education for females, and the Madrassa

(mosque school) became the main source

of primary and secondary education.

• About 1.2 million students were enrolled

in schools during the Taliban regime, with

less than 50,000 of them girls.

Aftermath of the Taliban’s rule

• After the overthrow of the Taliban in late

2001, the government received substantial

international aid to restore the education

system.

Aftermath of the Taliban’s rule

• Around 7,000 schools were operating in

20 of the 32 provinces by the end of

2003, with 27,000 teachers teaching 4.2

million children (including 1.2 million

girls).

Aftermath of the Taliban’s rule

• Of that number, about 3.9 million were in

primary schools. An estimated 57

percent of men and 86 percent of

women were reported to be illiterate,

and the lack of skilled and educated

workers was a major economic

disadvantage.

Aftermath of the Taliban’s rule

• When Kabul University reopened in

2002, some 24,000 male and female

students enrolled for higher education.

five other universities were also being

rehabilitated in different parts of the

country.

Leaps and bounds• By 2006, over 4 million male and female

students were enrolled in schools

throughout Afghanistan.

• At the same time, school facilities and

institutions were also being refurbished

or improved, with more modern-style

schools being built each year.

Leaps and bounds• Between 2001 and 2010, primary school

enrolment rose from around 1 million to

nearly 7 million (a sevenfold increase in

eight years) and the proportion of girls

from virtually zero to 37%.

Leaps and bounds• The number of teachers in general

education has risen sevenfold, but their

qualifications are low. About 31% are

women.

• Since 2003, over 5,000 school buildings

have been rehabilitated or newly

constructed.

Falls• Enrollment is still low. The average is

1,983 students per institution, while

three institutions have less than 200

students.

• Furthermore, there is a deficiency of

qualified faculty members: only 4.7 %

(166 of total 3,522) of the teaching staff

held a Ph.D.

Falls• In 2007, 60% of students were studying

in tents or other unprotected

structures.

• A lack of women teachers was another

issue that concerned some parents,

especially in more conservative areas.

• Both meant some parents did not send

their daughters to school.

Falls• In 2012, there were insufficient schools.

Around 4,500 schools are being built

according to a recent government report.

40 percent of schools were conducted in

permanent buildings. The rest held

classes in the UNICEF shelters or were

"desert schools" with students and

teachers gathering in the desert near a

village.

Falls• In 2013, Afghanistan was the 13th lowest

in the Human Development index.

• There were still 3 millions children being

deprived of education and it was

requested that $3 billion be given to

construct 8,000 additional schools over

next two years.

Challenges faced • One of them was a lack of funding.

Planning curricula and school programs is

difficult for the Ministry of Education

because a significant amount of the

budget for education comes from varying

external donors each year, making it

difficult to predict what the annual budget

would be.

Challenges faced • In 2009, another concern was the

destruction of schools by the Taliban,

especially schools for females. Following

the destruction of over 150 schools in a

year, many parents had doubts about the

government's ability to protect them.

Challenges faced • There were also 670 incidents of attacks

on education in 2008.

• Violence on students have prevented

close to 5 million afghan children from

attending school in the year 2010.

• In terms of death rates, Afghanistan had

439 teachers, education employees and

students killed in 2006-9, one of the

highest in the world.

Challenges faced • Since the Taliban regime was toppled in

2001, up to 6 million girls and boys

started attending school. In 2012, the

supply of students far exceeded the

pool of qualified teachers.

Challenges faced • According to statistics provided by the

Ministry of Education, 80 percent of the

country’s 165,000 teachers did not

complete their post-secondary studies.

Challenges faced • after the Taliban regime, the curriculum

has been changed from extremist Islamic

teachings to one relatively better with new

books and better training. Yet, there still

remains no standard curriculum for

secondary school textbooks and high

school textbooks remain inadequate in

number and content.

Challenges faced • In 2007, more that half of the population of

Afghanistan was under the age of 18.

UNICEF estimates that close to a quarter

of Afghan children between the ages of

seven and fourteen were working. This

disrupts children's education and possibly

prevents them from schooling completely.

Singaporeans are fortunate

• Unlike afghan schools, there are virtually

no attacks on schools.

• Children can thus go to school without

being afraid or scared.

• There are also virtually no reports of child

labour in Singapore.

Singaporeans are fortunate

• There are also no problems in the

curriculum, and also number of teachers.

• Singapore schools are also relatively

better equipped due to adequate funding.

• Teachers generally also have better

training and qualifications.

Singaporeans are fortunate

• The curriculum is fixed, thus reducing

confusion.

• Poorer families also get subsidies from the

government, giving everyone a chance for

education.

• Most importantly, girls in Singapore have

equal chances as boys in education.

The End