Every teacher counts: education during reconstruction

One in four girls in Afghanistan can now finish school, and each year 800,000 new children enrol in school. This is progress in itself. Nevertheless, half of all Afghan children are still unable to attend school. The country primarily lacks school buildings and qualified teachers.

Classes held in tents and poorly trained teachers are still widespread in Afghanistan. Two thirds of all schools have either been destroyed or damaged. Most of the teachers have had no training, which affects the quality of classroom instruction. After six years of schooling, only 10 per cent of children can read and write. Overall, 60 per cent of all men and 90 per cent of women are illiterate.
 
As part of reconstruction, GTZ, the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the German Development Service (DED) are working together on a programme for the promotion of basic education. The project began in 2005 and operates in the northern provinces of Badakshan, Kunduz and Takhar and in the southeastern province of Paktia. In addition to school construction, the emphasis is on training teachers and lecturers.

A new teacher training curriculum includes peace education and support for traumatised individuals, for example. One innovation is that teachers study for two years at a teacher training institute and complete an internship lasting several months. The proportion of qualified teachers has doubled since the education reform began and is now 30 per cent.

Because of the shortage of teachers, many teachers-to-be teach classes during their university studies. By 2010, the country will need at least 63,000 teachers to instruct the growing numbers of pupils. By then, the rate of school enrolment is to increase to 85 per cent.

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