Expanding basic education for all in Afghanistan:
Ameliorating literacy schools' current situation
Education for Specialized Subject Matter and Field International Education Course
Asadullah Hotak
Afghanistan has endured around forty years of war and it is still going on. This conflict has directly affected the education system. And Afghanistan remains as one of the poorest educated country. Literacy is a key of development, security, improving health, good governance, sustainable livelihoods and economic growth. In this case, the Ministry of Education(MoE), with support of worldwide society, has succeeded to rebuild the education system since 2001, including school buildings, hiring teachers, planning structures, education staffs capacity and curricula. But many problems still persist and much more must be done to have a literate and educative society. One of the big issues is the high adult illiteracy rate. Likewise, Afghanistan has received a large arrival of refugees and deportees 丘om Pakistan and Iran, which increases the adult illiteracy rate day by day. In order to promote the literacy rate in Afghanistan, MoE started some literacy programs, such as nine months of literacy training for adults. After nine months training students can attend as grade four students of Literacy Schools (LS). There
Supervisor: Hiroaki Ozawa
are 62 adult literacy schools that are run by the Literacy Department (LD) and it is currently the approach for adults to continue their education after the nine months' course. So, the purpose for this study is to expand the basic education for all and to increase the literacy rate by amelioration of the current situation of LS.
Correspondingly, to clarify the effectiveness of LS for illiter蹴e individuals and how to use these schools to increase the literacy rate. Likewise, this study intends to identify the main cause of the deficiency of illiterate participation in education and to encourage illiterate individuals for LS or to promote literacy in the future.
Students' illiterate family members
Family members
Students' gender
Total Male Female
F肌her 22 14 36
Mother 37 30 67
Brother 6 4 10
Sister 9 8 17
No one 13 13 26
All of them can read 1 4 5
I don't know 0 1 1
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During this research, some significant points such as LS structure, participation of students, students' illiterate family members, problems and facilities were investigated. Lack of security, deficiency of textbooks, library, laboratoryc computer lab, place for sports, separate toilet, lack of teachers especially female teachers for female students, buildings, drinking water, scholarships for students and schools' personnel were the basic problems. For instance, the above and the following tables show one hundred and eight students perspective about their school problems.
Students' gender Male Female Total Lack of classroom and building 27 28 S5
No gender equality 2 1 3
No classroom discipline 6 4 10
Weak administration 5 2 7
Deficiency of textbooks 24 26 50 Deficiency of teachers 28 19 47
0thers 0 0 0
In addition, insufficient workshops and seminars are requirement of teachers.
There is no media propaganda about LS.
In order to increase the literacy rate, LS need to come up with a standard system.
Moreover, it may positively affect the whole of Afghan society. This may help to fill the big gap of the country, which is illiteracy. If these schools are support by Ministry of Education, they can also, like
General Public Schools(GPS), accept a high number of students. Though, LS allow to make classes for the illiterate government employers, immigrants who have returned to their homeland, and some of the learners potentially need to work during day time, and they want to attend the LS before or after their working hours But LS operate on a one-shift basis, just high LS has two shifts. Therefore, significantly this research will help MoE to plan for this issue in the future. All in all, Afghanistan is already suffering from high illiteracy rate especially adult Howbeit that the national and international coworkers and organizations worked in last nineteen years and they had some consequences but some of the biggest problems, do not lead Afghans to literates.
However, the LS which designed specially to eliminate illiteracy; the challenges found in this research about LS as significance, which may help MoE in the future education development plan. For the further study about literacy schools, there is need to focus on teachers' methods and the improvement of teaching by technology. Shortage of vocational activities, and individual classes for female learners. To solve the existing problems, and to increase the literacy rate, immediate action is required and the prerequisite to adapt policies, monitoring framework and regulations to enact the constitutional rights.
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