Social unrest and conflict in Afghanistan has had a long-term impact on the education system. The present literacy rate in Afghanistan is low, and the country falls short of a large number of teachers, since many were misplaced during the war and many more migrated to neighboring countries. The education of the girls suffered most, as previously only girls up to the age of nine were permitted to attend school.

The objective of BRAC Afghanistan education programme is to increase enrollment of girls and to promote the retention of female teachers in the primary education sector. BRAC aims to strengthen linkages with the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Afghanistan, to increase collaboration in education related to teacher training, schools for female children, social mobilisation, the exchange of ideas and experiences in primary education, and to enhance the pedagogic efficiency of teachers. BRAC Afghanistan Education programme has found that (1) a good number of small children cannot attend formal schools since they are situated too far away from their residence or cannot be reached easily due to topography, and (2) a significant number of young girls between the age of 11 – 15 years are out of reach of the formal education system because parents are frequently unwilling to send their daughters to distantly located schools alone. Therefore, it is important to give both children and young adults an opportunity to complete their basic education through an equivalency programme or a transitional programme, to catch up with their age group, and be mainstreamed into formal schools as much as possible. To fulfill this objective, the education programme is operating three types of one teacher, one-room schools in the communities.

Non-formal Primary Education

The three-year course of NFPE (Non Formal Primary Education) schools is targeted to children 10-14 years old who have never been enrolled in any school or have dropped out of formal school. The Feeder Schools target young children between 5-6 years old to prepare them for entrance into the formal school system following completion of their BRAC course.

Feeder Schools

Feeder schools cover a one-year primary education curriculum in one year. The BEOC (Basic Education for Older Children) schools are for young adults of 11-16 years. The students are expected to enroll in grade IV of formal school after completing 3 years of primary curriculum in 2 years at BEOC schools. The Afghanistan national school curriculum is being taught in all BRAC operated schools in Afghanistan. BRAC has a plan for an expansion of its Community Based Schools in next years.

Accelerated Learning Programme

BRAC is participating in the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP) in association with UNICEF Afghanistan. BRAC Afghanistan has also been implementing Emergency Education Rehabilitation and Development Project (EERDP). The objective of the project is to encourage and facilitate initiatives of communities and schools to increase the capacity of schools and to improve the quality of education, especially in under-served areas.