Despite the fact that the educational infrastructure has been entirely destroyed, demand for education is soaring in all parts of the country. There is especially an increased demand on the part of girls who were denied education during the previous regime. In order to meet the scale of educational infrastructure comparable to what is found in countries of similar populations with a 85 percent net enrollment rate (the enrollment rate of developed countries is above 93 percent), Afghanistan will, in modest estimations, require in the next 10 years 43,500 teachers and an additional 13,851 schools. On an annual basis this means that at least 4,350 new teachers will need to be recruited and trained and 1,385 schools need to be constructed across the country. (UNICEF, 2003)

Next year, it is estimated that 400,000 new students will be enrolling in schools in Afghanistan, yet classrooms are already in very short supply since large numbers of schools were damaged or destroyed in the fighting. There is a critical shortage of qualified teachers: many died during the years of conflict, and a great number sought refuge in other countries, it is estimated that the country will need 10,000 teachers next year to meet its educational needs.

Objectives:

Primary and secondary education shall be viewed as a unified whole and in a perspective of lifelong learning. All Afghans shall have the same access to and opportunities for primary and secondary education. Education shall be provided to every individual, regardless of ethnic, religious, gender, and social background introduced with a proper understanding of the needs, sociopolitical, cultural, and religious context of the Afghan society.

Strategies to Achieve Objectives:

Educational reform is driven by growth, productivity and global competitiveness concerns, as well as concerns for social equity. Presently, the low level of educational achievement, and the large disparities in social and economic opportunities continue to undermine Afghanistan's developmental potential. Bringing a successful reform to the educational system in Afghanistan requires a long-term approach. The following issues are prerequisites for achieving the objectives of providing balanced education for all Afghans:

Curriculum:

Educational reform is particularly challenging in Afghanistan given the many factors that affect it. Social, cultural, organizational and political elements bly influence the nature of reform. It requires carefully designed curriculums, addressing the essential features of education that would foster the growth of generations of Afghans and thereby reduce oppression, war, and poverty.  The transition from primary to secondary shall be smooth and flexible in terms of both content and structure.

In order to differentiate between curriculum content, that is vital and content that is merely nice to know, we need to determine essential information and skills that will eliminate an overcrowded curriculum. While the Ministry of Education (MOE) provides the new curriculum that is designed to bring reform to all schools in Afghanistan, establishing integrated primary and secondary schools that incorporate modern methodologies, while being indigenous to meeting the cultural and moral needs of the population, is essential in enhancing the quality and effectiveness of education.  Instead of old method of rote memorization, the focus should be on gathering and processing information in order to learn how to learn. This is often accomplished through hands-on experience, projects, and field trips where students are allowed to become familiar with what they are learning. The new curriculum should incorporate social studies, reading, language, mathematics, life sciences and the arts.

Primary education is the term used to describe the educational development of children from the first year of school until the transition to secondary school. All elementary education starts with the first year of school (grade one) and generally ends at grade 6, 7, or 8 depending on the educational policies of different countries. Regardless of what educational policies Afghanistan adopts, students will benefit the most if there is a logical continuation of learning subjects between primary and secondary schools. On the other hand, because of diversified requirements in secondary education, a carefully design curricula that would offer broader conventional education is essential. The new curricula should enhance students' abilities to work experience that would result in approaching alternate schools, i.e. vocational schools. 

The new curricula should be designed to enable students to function fully in their own worlds.  For example, village students should gain the knowledge at school that is relevant to their lives and provide benefit to compensate for time spent in school. Only then would rural Afghans view formal education as a prelude to their financial and social advancement.

Capacity Building:

Teachers are clearly the key to whatever reform is implemented since ultimately they will be the ones operating in classrooms. By necessity, they must be put in a position to deliver the best possible performance, be it through training, incentives, school environment or pedagogic support. Recruiting teachers and providing them with training in modern pedagogical methodologies is essential for any educational reform in Afghanistan. The training should refine and enhance the standards of effective pedagogy, joint productive activity, language development and instructional conversation among teachers and students, so that the teachers are effectively able to maintain accurate assessments and provide assistance responsively. The training should include managers and supervising staff. In addition, with the current critical shortage of qualified teachers, and inadequate average salary well below a living wage, perhaps an incentive for teachers by the donor communities and NGOs, can be good stimulus in attracting qualified teachers to return from neighboring countries and resume their jobs in Afghanistan. In addition, offering continuing educational programs for teachers, including the introduction of information technology, will enhance their ability to communicate with students and would result in greater involvement of teachers to help bring a successful educational reform in Afghanistan.

Community Participation:

Local communities, including parents and community leaders, are the main contributors of successful educational reform. In order to break the traditional trend of the communities' passiveness in the decision-making process of their daily affairs, their participations should be highly encouraged in all programs. It is a proven fact that programs in which communities have taken the responsibility of identifying their specific problems and finding solutions for those problems have been highly successful because of the sense of ownership that communities feels. In addition, local communities could serve as a potential financial resource (i.e. construction and maintenance of school buildings) once they identify that education enhances their financial lives and bring upward social mobility.

Recommendations:

The purpose of this recommendation is to equip students to compete in our changing world, while preserving their cultural values, and to empower students to become lifelong learners. Establishing integrated primary and secondary schools creates a shared passion for learning new subjects that are guided by effective leadership and clear vision, driven by data, and supported by staff development. Education is a determining factor of individual success. In order to achieve success, the educational process must build a healthy sense of self-esteem and pride, which leads to the development of attitudes and behaviors conducive to learning. The overall goal is to educate caring and responsible citizens who are respectful of human dignity, different cultures, and equal rights.  An educated citizen is more likely to embrace values that promote a civil society in Afghanistan that can become a productive member of the global community. The following are recommended to help bring reform in education sector in Afghanistan:

q Formal education should in fact be compulsory at least up to and including the sixth grade for all the Afghan children.
q The curriculum should be unified across the nation with clear implementation strategy to meet the demands of all levels and localities.
q The options for the language of instruction, as well as second and third languages should be researched and a viable solution introduced.
q There should be transparency of objectives between communities and the Ministry of Education. The recommendations and concerns of community and religious leaders should be sought at all levels and appropriate action should be taken.
q Integrated curriculum such as information technology, health education, environmental education, and peace education programs should be introduced to form young Afghan minds for a changing world.
q Partnership with international community, non-governmental organizations, and private sources for the construction and financial support of educational reform is vital. In addition, a good portion of the international aid should be allocated for the development of new education system in Afghanistan.
q A policy of b support for the education of girls and women should be adopted.

Conclusion:

Despite of years of war that destroyed the social infrastructure of Afghanistan, the majority of the Afghan society has by no means discarded old values. The concepts of honor and hospitality, combined with the essence of Islam's teachings embodying honesty, generosity, fairness, and respect for others still underlies the every day life of most Afghans. These characteristics of Afghan society remain in tact. Afghans will embrace social changes that will be rooted in their rich cultural heritage.

Sources: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., Learning, The Treasure Within, Jacques Delors, UNESCO, UNICEF