Education has been at the forefront of the political battles and conflicts that have plagued Afghanistan over the past few decades.
Changing political ideologies have taken a toll on all students as the entire Afghan education system including its staff, buildings, curricula, and attendance, was wiped out.
The current Afghan government has made service delivery a priority to promote social cohesion and trust in public institutions and pave the way for growth and jobs.
But despite these efforts, Afghanistan has been experiencing increased fragility.
The report Afghanistan: Promoting Education During Times of Increased Fragility provides an up-to-date analysis of the Afghan education sector, including the use of public money spanning over a period of six years.
Further to that, the report offers new insights on the performance of the education system and recommends reforms to improve learning outcomes and maximize public expenditures.
In addition to considerable access challenges, the education system in Afghanistan is facing a learning crisis. Many young Afghans do not know how to read and write. Only half of the population between the ages of 15 and 24 is literate. Other factors contributing to low learning outcomes and thus the learning crisis include the low qualification of teachers and inadequate learning environment, with the teacher force remaining generally underqualified.
Education spending in Afghanistan has reduced over the past five years; only considerable donor financing has kept the sector afloat to deliver basic services. However, substantial resources are needed to prepare for the increase in students attending secondary education. Despite enrollment growth, education spending in Afghanistan has declined over time as a proportion of the government budget.
To improve the performance and equity of the education sector, Afghanistan must reform the sector policies and funding priorities. Afghanistan should target investments towards improving equity. Given that poor learning conditions are linked to repetition, attrition and dropping out, Afghanistan must invest in improving the quality of education by increasing spending on teaching and learning materials.
Read and download the report Afghanistan: Promoting Education During Times of Increased Fragility.
Original source: World Bank
Published on 15 August 2018
