EDUCATION IN AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is still the 15th least develop nation in the world and suffers from ongoing violence due to Taliban
insurgency.

Taliban insurgency - forces are fighting against the Afghan government, who refer themselves as Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan. Is a rebellion against authority when those taking part of the rebellion are not
recognized as belligerent or is an individual, group, country, or other entity that acts in a hostile manner

Includes K-12 and higher education which is greatly supervised by the Ministry of Education and, Ministry of
Higher Education in Kabul, Afghanistan

Two different Education Ministries

1. Ministry of Education - is responsible for policy formulation of the organization and supervision of education
in Afghanistan.

Minister: Assadulah Hanif Balkhi

2. Ministry of Higher Education - it is responsible for the training of teachers and for establishing a national
higher education curriculum as well as special education programmes, in service training, and promoting further
education for university faculty members.

Minister: Dr. Farida Momand

Kabul, Afghanistan

It is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan( 7.635 million).

16, 000 Schools

Trivia: Habibiah High School in Kabul, is one of the oldest school in Afghanistan which was built by king
Habibullah Khan in 1903.

480, 000 Teachers

There are about 44 students per teacher in primary school

170 million (text book)

By 2013 there were 10.5 million students attending school in Afghanistan, a country which has around 27.5
million people living in it.

38% Adult literacy rate - is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with
understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.

EDUCATION SYSTEM

The Afghan Education System includes primary education, secondary education, higher education, vocational
education, teacher training and religious education.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) is responsible for the administration of primary education, secondary
education, vocational education, and religious education, including funding, policy development, curriculum
design, evaluation, and basic teacher education.

The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) is responsible for the administration of higher education, including
funding, policy development, institution establishment, quality assurance, and advanced teacher education.

Primary Education

From 7 to 13 years old of pupils attend primary schools where they learn the basics of reading, writing,
arithmetic, and their national culture.Primary education runs from grades 1 to 6. Children typically begin school
between the ages of six and eight.

Primary education is is divided into two cycles.

The first cycle covers grades 1 to 3, and the curriculum includes subjects such as religious studies, first language
(Dari or Pashtu, depending on the region), mathematics, arts, and physical education.

The second cycle includes grades 4 to 6. The curriculum covers the same subjects as the first cycle, plus
additional subjects such as natural sciences, history, geography, and a secondary language (Dari or Pashtu,
depending on the region).

At the end of grade 6, students must pass an examination to gain admission to lower secondary education at
this point, they may opt to pursue a religious studies track, or a more general education track.

Secondary Education

Secondary education includes two three-year cycles. The first cycle, from grades 7 to 9, is referred to as lower
secondary education, and the second cycle, from grades 10 to 12, is referred as higher secondary education.

The curriculum of the first cycle includes subjects such as religious studies, local languages, mathematics, natural
sciences, social studies, foreign languages (English, German, French and Russian), and physical education.

Students who pass the examination at the end of grade 9 can continue to higher secondary education. (Upon
completion of grade 9, students may opt to pursue technical and secondary vocational education, rather than
higher secondary education.) The curriculum of higher secondary education is determined by whether the
students choose to focus on natural sciences stream or social studies stream, although the subjects taken are
largely the same, and duplicate most of the subjects taken in lower secondary education. No matter which
streams the students take, they need to pass the graduation exam to be awarded the 12thgrade graduation
certificate.

At secondary school students have a choice between continuing with an academic path for 3 years that could
perhaps lead into university, or study subjects such applied agriculture, aeronautics, arts, commerce and teacher
training instead. Both programme culminate in a baccalaureate examination.

Religious schools - they instruct spiritual teachings of Koran, reading, writing, and arithmetic. They are taught by
mullahs who conduct schools in mosque.

The term is sometimes applied to a Muslim man or woman, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law.

(Master, Guardian).
CULTURE IN AFGHANISTAN

Almost all Afghan follow Islamic Tradition celebrate the same holidays, dress the same, consume the same food,
listen to the same music and multi-lingual to a certain extent.

1. People

Afghan are very proud of their land, religion and ancestry. They value their independence beyond life. These
highlanders are known for their loyalty in the clan, and due to clan warfare, they seem always up-in-arms to
settle disputes.

The most well known ethnic groups that make up the people of Afghanistan are the Pashtun the largest ethnic
group in the country about 42% of the country’s population

2.Family

The family is the single most important unit and aspects of Afghanistan culture.

Afghan culture is very collectivist and people general put their family's interest before their own.

These means that family responsibilities tend to hold a greater importance than personal needs.

Loyalty is one obligation to one's tribe or ethnicity.

Families commonly arrange marriage for their children. Factors such as tribe, status, network, and wealth are
the major factors forming any choice.

Families traditionally live together in the same walled compound known as Kala when a son gets married he and
her wife begin their married lives in a room under the same roof.

Afghan family is sacred and as such highly protected so family matters are kept strictly private as a result
probing about families is not advised.

3. Religion

Islam is the religion of Afghanistan and the majority of the population is Muslims (approximately 99.7%)

Faith in the religion is noticeable in dress, dietary codes, regular prayers and language.

There are some very small residual communities of other faiths including Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, and Baha'i.

The Afghan government is established as a Sunni Islamic Republic. Therefore there is strong societal pressure to
adhere Sunni Islamic Tradition (Its name comes from the word sunnah , referring to the behaviour of the Islamic
prophet

Muhammad).

Friday is the Muslim holy day. Most shops and offices will be closed.

4. Arts

It plays a large part in Afghan culture with the oldest oil painting in the world, dating back to the seventh
century.
Afghanistan is also famous for making carpets has been prominent in this industry for centuries. (Shindand or
Adraskan) A traditional Afghan rug will have certain prints inspired by the diversity and culture of a particular
area, making the rug unique to that part of Afghanistan. Afghan rugs are seen as some of the beast rugs in the
world.

In the past art was created almost entirely by men but recently this has been relaxed and has seem more
women enrolling in arts programs in Kabul University.

5. Sport

The most popular sport in Afghanistan is Buzkhazi, where opposing teams of in horseback attempt to place a
goat carcass into the opponents goal. The literal meaning of Buzkhazi in persian is "goat grabing".

It is national sport and a "passion" in Afghanistan where it is often played on Fridays and matches draw
thousands of fans and while most places of work are close.

6. Concepts of Honour and Shame

Honour in Afghan culture defines reputation and worth of an individual, as well as those they are associated
with.

The head male of the family is responsible for protecting the honour of the family. The issue of honour drives of
the behaviour surrounding the protection of women, modes of dress, social interaction, education and
economic activity.

If someone honour has been compromised, they are shamed and will look away to exact revenge for
themselves, there family or group.

7. Role of Hospitality

Hospitality is an essential aspect of Afghan culture. No matter who you are, if you visit a home you will be given
the best family has. This relates back to the idea of gaining honour.

8. Poetry and Language

Dari and Pashtu poetry is very important part of Afghan culture. Poetry is a major component of education.
Mushaeras or poetry competitions are common indulgence with the ordinary people. In fact, most homes have
exclusive collection of poetry. Poetry is commonly read and recited by men, women, modern-day progressives,
as well as conservative Muslims.

9. Death and Afterlife

The dead are buried rapidly in a shroud. In the countryside, most graves are simple heaps of stones without a
name. Wealthier person may erect a tombstone with a written prayer. For three days, the close relatives of the
deceased person open their house to receive condolences. Forty days after death, relative and close friend meet
again, visit the grave and pray. After one year, a ceremony take place to mark the end of the mourning period.
Many believe that if a funeral is not carried out properly, the ghost of the dead will return to torment of the
living.