Their vision for the Afghan education system is to develop human capital based on Islamic principles and respect for human rights by providing equitable access to quality education for all to enable them to actively participate in sustainable development, economic growth, stability and security of Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Education strives to accomplish this vision by implementing an inclusive plan that aims to enhance access, quality, relevance and management of educational delivery mechanisms in the years to come.
Decades of war, civil unrest, internal conflicts and political instability in Afghanistan have destroyed the basic social service delivery mechanisms of the country. Education, being the most vulnerable social sector against insecurity, violence and discontinuity, has been severely affected as a result.
In 2002, the newly established Government of Afghanistan inherited a disabled and defunct education system, which was as follows:
- - Less than one million students, 20,000 teachers with almost no female articipation;
- - 34, 00 schools–majority with unusable buildings;
- - No standard national curriculum or textbooks;
- - Only four Teacher Training Colleges with 400 students;
- - Only 1500 boys enrolled in Technical and Vocational Schools, and
- - 220 unregulated Madrassas without any formal curriculum.
Where They Are Now
The education sector has witnessed substantial progress since 2002. A seven-fold increase in the enrolment of students, the recruitment and training of large numbers of teachers and construction of several thousand schools have ensured improved access and major progress in enhancing the quality and management of education.
- - Nearly 7 million children are enrolled in schools , around 37% or 2.5 million of them girls;
- - Over 4,500 school buildings constructed with active community involvement to provide better and safer learning environments;
- - An over eight-fold increase in the number of teachers to 170,000 (30% female);
- - Teacher Training Centers (TTCs) have increased from four to 42 – at least one per province with male and female boarding facilities; also 73 District Teacher Training Resource Centers (DTTRCs) to train new and exiting teachers are active; 42,000 students enrolled in TTCs and DTTRCs (38% female). This figure
is expected to reach 54,000 by the end of 1388;
- - The number of TVET schools increased to 60 with 20,000 students (3,000 girls) - and is expected to reach 26,000 in 1388;
- - Over 79,000 students graduated from grade 12 in 1387 (26% female) – 100,000 expected by the end of 1388;
- - 250,000 adults (62% female) attended a nine-month literacy courses every year since 1381; expected to reach 500,000 this year.
- - There are 42 Centers of Educational Excellence with about 485 registered Madrasas;
- - Out of 673 closed-schools because of insurgency, 220 have been re-opened during the last nine months providing access to over 180,000 students and 3000 teachers;
- - In order to promote ownership of the education system by communities, over 8,500 school Shuras have been established.
