Education for Afghans : World Bank workshops held November 10, 1999 and December 13, 1999, Washington, DC

23259 December 1999 World Sank WorkshQps Noveme10.99 ;lsicwmobad December 13, 1999 * 477 tUod4 Bonh US. Telephoqe. Z21)247-1234 kcsf:ind; 20.'477-63VI? TeIe)q MCI 6145W WRt 8ANI% CobIe Atftross, tNT0Rf*ID: WASHlIN&TONiXc WorkJ Wkie W#b: httpllwww.woddbonk.org U~~~~torkshps jointly Spons*rd 4; Tho World 8On!k ContOtts: Zito .u lt0bg resvi S fi th Chlken SR) Anhne Ik4fIL Swedisai COMiWtttoe for Rfghan)ston Domican Zimfmermonn ____ UNKE(F   Table of Contents Introduction by John W. Wall, Country Director ................................ ..................... 3 Education for Afghans: "What Can be Done?" .......................................................... 4 November 10, 1999-The World Bank Country Office-Islamabad Workshop Minutes Education for Afghans ......................................................... 22 December 13,1999-Washington, DC Opening Remarks by Mieko Nishimizu, Vice President, South Asia Region Abbreviations Minutes Washington Conference Participation List and Contact Information Today Article .......................................................... 47 December 16, 1999 1 .E.  EDUCATION FOR AFGHANS lL~~~~~~~~~~A ~  Dear Colleagues: In November of last year I was pleased to open the workshop on Education for Afghans in Islamabad, jointly sponsored by the World Bank, Save the Children (USA), Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, and UNICEF, and held in collaboration with a wide range of donors and NGOs active in Afghanistan. The workshop provided us with an opportunity to discuss the immense challenges that we face in working to rebuild and strengthen the human resource capacity of Afghanistan. The Islamabad workshop was followed by an equally useful gathering in Washington DC, that enabled us to reach a wider audience and gather further perspectives on how to address an education system in crisis. This booklet provides a record, prepared by Save the Children (USA) and the World Bank (in Washington), of the discussions that were held in these two workshops. In any such record it is difficult to capture everything that was said and I apologize for any absences or mistakes we have made. We have not attempted to summarize or draw conclusions from the discussions but have left it to you, the partici- pants, to draw on this record for further understanding of the complex and urgent situation we face in Afghanistan. The likely future for Afghanistanis young people remains unsure. What is clear is that rebuilding a peaceful and prosperous future is going to be exceptionally difficult without significant attention to the education of Afghanistanis people. Education is at the heart of our efforts to eradicate poverty. Providing young people with the opportunity to have an educational experience that equips them with the skills and judgement necessary to ensure their own peaceful and prosperous future is something we must all strive for. In Afghanistan we can only look forward to a possibility of peace and the huge challenges that Afghanistanis people will face in rebuilding their society. While there is little we can accomplish in present circumstances, we need to prepare for a happier day now. We who are committed to a better future for Afghanistan are looking for opportunities to collaborate and assist when we can; and build our understanding of what is going to be necessary for the future by working together to improve and share knowledge and experiences. These two workshops have been an important step on this path and we look forward to further such workshops. A key challenge raised by these workshops, for those of us in the assistance community, is to ensure that education remains at the top of our priorities in looking at rehabilitation and reconstruction demands that are going to face Afghanistan in the future. In addition, we must continue to look for opportunities both within and outside the country in innovative ways to address the clear emergency in education. I would like to express special thanks to the many people who were involved in organizing the workshops and preparing materials, and especially to our partners, Save the Children (USA), Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, and UNICEF. Our collaboration in these events reflects the commitment we all share to seeing a peaceful and secure future for Afghanistan, and is an example of the cooperation we look forward to in other regions of the world. John W. Wall Country Director Pakistan & Afghanistan South Asia Region 3 ..  EDUCATION FOR AFGHANS Education for Rfghans: What Can be Done? November 10, 1999 The World Bank Country Office - Islamabad Workshop Minutes Situation Analysis (Chaired by Anders Fange, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (S CA)) Opening Remarks: John Wall, Director, World Bank Mr. Wall expressed his appreciation to all the participants for their attendance and thanked UNICEF, Save the Children/USA and the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan for their help in organizing the meeting. He has had a long interest in Afghanistan. He emphasized how the highest return on investment socially is education, double if it is girls' education. He looked forward to the day of representative govemment in Afghanistan which can manage its educa- tion system. In preparation for that day, he expressed his gladness that this meeting was being held. Historical Background: Nancy Dupree, Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief Information Center (ARIC) Ms. Dupree said she was honored to speak. She presented a similar paper in April 1988 to many of the same people, so gave the highlights. She said that there are three important legacies that influence education today, two posi- tive and one negative: a) Close bonds forged during many years between students and masters. Loyalties are still strong and we should build on this. Teachers should be encouraged to see themselves as leaders. b) A great respect exists for the learned and for books. c) There is a great dependency on rote memorization. Rigid adherence to prescribed text- books discourages curiosity and is very debilitating for the whole system. However there are some glimmers of positive inroads into this problem. At the end of the nineteenth century, secular education was introduced with the purpose of building a strong centralized state. The authorities broke the traditional religious hold on education so that bureaucrats and technocrats could be trained. Except for a small hiccup in 1929 when the conservatives took over, the same policy was used by successors. One key feature was that the system had tremendous outside input and assistance, from Turkey, India, Egypt, Europe, USA and the Soviet Union. All foreigners involved in education for Afghans today should heed and ponder this fact.  By 1978 when the turmoil began and the education system began to crumble, there were reportedly one million students in the secular sector, in 4,000 schools with 40,000 teachers. Despite this - all the money spent and expertise given - Afghanistan stood at the bottom of world achievement lists. Why? There were scores of reasons, many of them familiar. The underlying problem was that the system was top-heavy, elitist and concentrated in the urban areas. Only the most committed and bright students from the provinces could access the system. When the upheaval began, the leadership on both sides came from the elitist secular education system. The situation is now reversed, with leadership from the traditional religious education system. The problem is that neither system has produced visionary leadership because the education system failed. The ruling elite deliberately nurtured the elitist system; they were concerned that their autocratic system would be threatened. Ms Dupree concluded with four points. Firstly, although it is readily accepted that educa- tion is crucial for rebuilding, it needs to be clear that education is only a tool; it is not the an- swer. It can be used constructively or destructively, ideally opening a way to a lifetime of learning and building tolerance. Secondly, the bifurcation of traditional religious and state secular education into two parallel systems was designed to reduce the power of the religious hierarchy. Tension has always existed between the two systems. There is a strong belief, stronger now than ever, that there is too much foreign involvement and not enough input of Afghan culture. However, Ms. Dupree feels that Islam and modernism are compatible. Thirdly, conservative circles hold secular education responsible for communism and the displacement. They are very wary of the involvement of foreigners in molding the minds of youth: the anathema of secular education. This anathema has been spread among their follow- ers. Ms. Dupree believes that the general public's attitude has changed tangibly towards asking for schools. High school students are asking for books other than textbooks. There is a signifi- cant change. The momentum for accepting change is there, we must only sustain it. Finally, the exodus of Afghan professionals has hit everyone. Little is being done to expand the pool of professionals. The key thing is that we don't want to return to how things were in education previously even when the system was working. We need to take new steps and feels that the community is ready to march with us. Overview of Current Situation and Education Strategy for Afghanistan (Ellen Kalmthout, UNICEF, Helen Kirby Save the Children/US, Jorgen Baltzer, Swedish Committeefor Afghanistan) Ellen Kalmthout began by describing that the presentation was prepared by all three organizers of the workshop, but was meant to reflect the contribution of all agencies that work in the education sector. The three parts of the presentation were an overview of the current situation in education, an identification of the main issues in the education sector, and the strategy 5:  EDUCATION ORF RfGHANS framework for education assistance agencies. The presentation focused on primary education, with references to the refugee context, but a focus on all Afghan children. Ellen explained that the state of education of Afghan children is a silent emergency with serious long-term and inter-generational implications, in terms of the capacity to rebuild the country and the ability of children to develop their full potentials. Ellen then provided figures on basic education. Although none of the data are completely reliable, it can be concluded from the data that Afghanistan has some of the lowest education indicators in the world. In the refugee context, the situation is slightly better. Afghans who are being educated in urban centers in Pakistan show no gender gap in enrollment rates. The data for secondary education, although unknown, must be equally dismal, especially since girls' participation is curtailed in the secondary grades. Geographically, enrolment rates are lowest in the central belt of Afghanistan, which includes the Taliban heartland. Enrolment rates for boys are higher than girls, but are still very low. Based on the statistics, it is apparent that the Taliban's edict on girls' education has had a devastating effect on girls' enrolment, especially in the urban areas. In terms of location of education assistance, about 20 assistance agencies are giving direct education assistance inside Afghanistan. Assistance efforts are concentrated in the eastern and northern provinces (close to Peshawar), in high refugee return and densely populated areas. The assistance is limited and falls short of demand. In addition, a majority of programs are reaching boys, meaning boys' education is not being neglected on account of girls'. Refugee villages in Pakistan are well covered, but there is much less support for private Afghan schools in Pakistan cities. Provision of education exists for religious, formal and modern secular, as well as alterna- tive delivery mechanisms. Mosque schools continue to provide basic religious and moral education to Afghan children and are probably the most sustainable form of education at the community level. Private home tutoring and madrassahs are other forms of religious education. Recently, the administration of girls' education was taken from the Ministry of Education and put under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. What the resulting effect of this move will be is not yet known. Formal schools in the Afghan context include official government schools, most of the refugee schools and many of the agency-run schools inside Afghanistan. The official govern- ment schools, managed by the authorities, cater mostly to boys and receive no official assistance except irregular payment of teachers. The schools are chronically under-resourced which has an effect on quality. Agency supported schools in rural Afghanistan and refugee villages in Paki- stan are usually provided with an entire package of these resources from international agencies and are in a better state. Some examples of alternative schools include community-based schools and home-based schools for girls in Afghanistan and refugee villages. The purpose and teaching content of these alternative schools or classes are the same as formal primary schools, but differ in organization tSB34,,, ttt00 0 -00000"f  and management. Privately organized home-based schools at the urban level have also emerged as a result of the ban on girls' education. The BBC is also developing a radio education project for children, an innovative approach that will reach large numbers of Afghan children. The conclusion is that the aid community is making an important contribution the educa- tion sector in Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees. Moreover, it is being done in an innovative fashion which doesn't compromise both boys' and girls' access. The assistance community is also contributing to the development of alternative delivery mechanisms that will be important as tested models to be absorbed into a future unified Afghan education system. Helen Kirby then explained the connection between quality and capacity. Capacity building activities in the Afghan context can only be done on a small scale. The framework for looking at quality in education focuses on the quality of learning opportuni- ties, the learning environment and learning itself. The quality of learning opportunities in the Afghan context refers to the depen- dency on rote learning, with few opportunities to problem solve or bring the child's own knowledge or experience to the education. In addition, the material that is taught bears little relation to the children's lives or interests. The learning environment in the Afghan context is one where the few learning materials that are available are poor quality, outdated and inappropriate. The classrooms themselves are not conducive to learning. There is little reliable information about the quality of learning in the Afghan context. It may be as good as other countries, but it is not certain if what they are taught gives the children the foundation for life that enables them to make sense of their world and partici- pate i it fully to their maximum capacity. School and community links also feature regularly in the literature on improving the quality of education. There is increasing awareness of the importance of involving the wider community in all aspects of education in the context of education for Afghans. However, much remains to be done and a number of issues can be identified, some of which overlap with other areas of concern. For example, the question of who pays for a child's schooling lies at the heart of the question of qualitative reforms: community financing may be an answer but research is needed, with communities, to find out to what extent this (and other ways of involving the community in education provision) is possible and desirable. Helen went on to give an overview of some of the examples that illustrate that the issues of quality and capacity are possible to address in the short-term and on a small scale. They are initiatives that provide programme learning and allow the agencies to test models that can eventually be implemented when the situation changes in Afghanistan. Examples include the development of learning and teaching materials, professional development/teacher training, the 7  EDUCATION FOR AFGHRNS basic competency initia- tive, library boxes and the learning achievement case study. Next, Jorgen Baltzer identified the most important contex- tual, operational and technical issues to determine what can be done in the present. Contextual issues include human rights and gender issues, increasing demand for education services, the absence of government resources and support for education, and uncertainty in terms of future directions in policy and support. Operational and technical issues include: the role of the assistance community in education provision; the short-term, 'emergency' nature of assistance; the need to develop a shared vision/strategy for the long term but to also meet immediate needs; the limited capacity at all levels; the absence of delivery mechanisms which can be scaled up to successful models; and the lack of investment and concern in quality improvement. The strategy that Helen Kirby outlined is based on the 1998 strategy paper, "Education for Afghans." There are three points that must be considered when developing a strategy. First, whatever is done it must have both long term and short term applicability. A second consider- ation is with Common Programming, which is one of the objectives of the Strategic Framework for Afghanistan. Education, as a sector in the Basic Social Services thematic group, has a set of long term strategic objectives that have guided decisions about developing education sector priorities for 2000 and beyond. We should also be concerned with the issue of ownership. While 'outside' agencies and individuals have a role in education innovation, strategies imposed on Afghan education will not be successful. We must look to work within 'margins for develop- ment' that are sustainable and supported by Afghan educators. The presentation concluded by saying that even in the current political climate, there is considerable room for increasing and improving education opportunities for Afghan children. The factors affecting access to quality education are numerous and complex and will require a long-term investment of human and financial resources. The investment required in education is small relative to the price we will pay for ignoring education for Afghans. Key Issues and Questions, Govert Visser: Royal Netherlands Embassy Govert Visser began by saying that as a representative of a donor, he was pleased to make a couple of remarks at the beginning of this workshop that would focus on the opportunities to  provide education for Afghans. He wanted to make clear from the outset that he was just representing one donor and not speaking on behalf of the other donors present. He was pleased to be present for two reasons: firstly, because education 'can be done' for Afghans both in and outside Afghanistan, although unfortunately in the past couple of years a lot of attention has been given to the impediments. Secondly, because notwithstanding the interest and commitment of some donors for the sector, more can and should be done to avoid an even greater catastrophe. In that regard he believes that education is a necessary condition to address manifold issues that Afghans are faced with in human rights, health problems, protecting the environ- ment etc. Moreover, education helps to create interpersonal, inter-tribal and inter-ethnic understanding. Since the beginning of last year, the Netherlands has assisted some initiatives of different players in the field of education with a view to raise the issue more prominently and find common ground to move ahead. In February 1998 the then Minister for Development Coop- eration of the Netherlands indicated to both the Taliban authorities in Kabul and Kandahar and to different aid agencies to look for compromises and a way out of the stalemate that had emerged regarding the Taliban ban on girls' education. The stalemate is still there, though pragmatic and workable solutions have been found or were already existing. Nevertheless, the overall result is still rather modest: the majority of children in Afghanistan does not attend schools or are not receiving out-of-school education. Apart from the stalemate, the decreasing availability of secondary and tertiary education for Afghans in Afghanistan and Pakistan was identified as a disastrous development hat should be addressed. Regrettably this development is continuing. The whole education system needs to be addressed in a comprehensive way. As a consequence, the Netherlands co-funded a consultancy to produce a state-of-the-art document. The consultancy and the workshop organized by UNICEF and Save the Children USA resulted in a strategy paper called 'Education for Afghans', which came out in summer 1998. (The Executive Summary of this paper was given to all participants.) The paper serves as a good point of departure to make further steps. Many questions and issues are raised and since its production, many initiatives have been undertaken in several fora such as the ACBAR sub- committee for education. The paper also states that Afghanistan could be a pilot to try out a new approach. He then went on the highlight some issues and questions, which despite his not being a professional in the field, were ones which he was confronted with, in particular in discussions with the Hague. Firstly, questions about how to deal with authorities: the lack of any educational policy or vision of the authorities. It would be desirable for the authorities to be more informed of which agencies are doing what. Community involvement and bottom-up pressure are instrumental in creating the right policy environment. .9.  EDUCATION FOR RFGHANS Secondly, at an operational level the issue is very much how to depart from just handing out services without mobilizing communities. Third, the distorted image with headquarters or capitals that with the exception of refugee education, education is impossible in complex emergencies. For Mr. Visser and other donor representatives, this means that it is impossible to access development or education budgets. Fourth, the ever-recurring difficulty to approve medium term programs focusing on developing quality education, institutional development and capacity building activities. Fifth, how to increase access, improve quality and support capacity building. Sixth, the challenge to provide motivation and hope for Afghans that improved conditions are possible. He concluded by commenting that it is probably true that common ground exists among the representatives of the aid community regarding these issues. Nevertheless the workshop is worthwhile and it is encouraging that major players - though with the exception of any authori- ties - are willing to discuss today what can be done and furthermore that the World Bank is hosting it. He hoped that the day would be fruitful to establish more common ground to move ahead in this challenging situation. His colleague Mrs. Maaike van Fliet, Education Advisor at the Royal Netherlands Em- bassy made some points. She felt that the basic questions regarding education are the same worldwide: the need for an education system/vision, equity issues, access, capacity, financing and community/ parental participation. The need for quality cannot be overemphasized, but the term needs to mean more than just academic achievement. Personal growth is a necessity, not a luxury. She had the following questions: e Why are we supporting education in Afghanistan? e What is our vision? I [s there a need for a more developmental approach? * Should we build up a more holistic approach? * Do we need to consider increased funding? * What are the priorities for action? * How do we monitor? She also pointed to lessons learned from elsewhere in the world, for example in materials development and teacher resource centers. She also felt that lessons from SAPP (Social Action Program, Pakistan) could be valuable. GENERAL DISCUSSION Amir Mohammed Ahmadi, Solidarite Afghanistan Belgium (SAB): we are now a destroyed country, the system has been destroyed.  Dr. Farzand Durrani, Afghan University Peshawar: focused on the importance of university education and the dwindling resources for this. Professionals are crucial for the future of Afghanistan. Other participants shared his opinions. A representative of an Afghan NGO felt that much of the problem was related to teachers' salaries. 90% of professional teachers seek other work, as they cannot survive on their salary alone. How can a teacher bring quality if he has to go from teaching in the morning to heavy labor such as well digging in the aftemoon just to earn a living? Achieving Progress on the Ground - Best Practices/Recommendations Service Delivery in the absence of effectively functioning government The group first explained that when considering how to provide assistance for the educa- tion, education agencies should define a basic minimum which is acceptable to provide for the sector and then put a funding figure to what is required to meet that basic minimum. The common understanding that group one made was that education is possible in the current environment. Thus, the objectives are: * To improve quality of education * To expand the existing education into secondary, tertiary, non-formal (literacy and voca- tional) * To work actively towards developing a common service delivery strategy that is shared and owned by all stakeholders. There is a need for a common rationale, but with different practical implementation strategies to respond to different environments and contexts. The opportunities identified by the group include: * There is a demand from communities for education * Agencies have both the core capacity and the interest to work in the education sector * There is increasing cooperation between agencies that is leading to better coordination * Local agreements/community pressure (inconsistent policies between local authorities) means it is possible to do girls' education The constraints identified by the group include: There is a lack of a common framework in proportion to the capacity and funds available There is a lack of long-term funds (in turn as a result of a current lack of common rational to Headquarters of donors and taxpayers) and only emergency funds are available for short-term The suggestion offered to overcome the constraints is to form a think-tank group which develops the common rationale for funding to donor headquarters. ..