Education - PACE-A / COPE / Secondary Schools for Girls
Project Description:
In order to reverse damage from years of conflict on the educational system and as part of the overall development strategy of the Government of Afghanistan, CARE is active and committed to education in the country. CARE directly implements education projects in ten provinces and as lead in the PACE-A consortium supports education activities in a total of 17 provinces (including the 10 already referred to). CARE activities build community and governmental capacity to support schooling initiatives to promote sustainability over the long-term. Other activities include community-based secondary schools for girls and establishing libraries at community-based school.
I) Partnership Advancing Community-based Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A)
Funded by USAID, PACE-A is a consortium made up of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Aga Khan Development Network, and CARE. CARE is the lead agency of this consortium. PACE-A aims to reach over 90,000 Afghan children, youth and adults, focusing on women and girls, in approximately 1,000 remote communities. This project primarily supports communities that do not have any access to formal schools by providing primary grade education to Afghan children (60% of them girls) but also offering accelerated learning, literacy and early childhood development activities to youth, adults and preschool-aged children where these are identified as needs through consultations with the community. As of March 2007, PACE-A has supported a total of 44,193 students (68% female) through the establishment and support of 1,457 classes (primary grades 1 – 6, accelerated learning and adult literacy).
In addition to expanding access to community-based education and improving the quality of education by training teachers, PACE-A aims to build long-term capacity of Community Service Organizations to support and sustain community-based education, normalize cooperation between community-base and the Ministry of Education schools, and promote the Ministry’s recognition of, and support for, community-based education.
The Ministry of Education and USAID approved the PACE-A Year 2 Implementation plan during the month of March. PACE-A has aligned its approach to accommodate the Community-Based Education Policy Guidelines and the Five Year Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Education. In April, PACE-A will move into its second year of implementation and will continue to serve Afghans in remote and rural areas.
II) Community-Based Schools: In an effort to provide annual educational opportunities for approximately 45,000 marginalized children, youth and adults in areas with no access to formal schools, CARE implements two community-based schooling projects:
Community-Organized Primary Education (COPE):
Funded by USAID (see PACE-A), AusAID, the UK’s Big Lottery Fund and several private donors, the goal of the COPE project is to provide access to quality primary education in remote communities through community-based education activities. COPE promotes local accountability and sustainability through the training of Community Education Committees (CECs), teachers and employees from the Education Department and Ministry of Education. COPE assists with the establishment of community-based classes, provides material support to teachers and students and offers training and in-class room support to community-based teachers. Presently, 22,295 students (67% girls) in 244 schools and 744 classes, 288 Village/Community Education Committees and 734 teachers are beneficiaries of CARE’s community-based education activities throughout Afghanistan.
Libraries for Schools: In Afghanistan, public libraries are not available outside of large, urban centers, and often school children do not have access to reading materials beyond religious texts or school textbooks. In January 2006, a private donation allowed CARE to purchase books and cabinets for 74 libraries in community-based schools in remote areas throughout the country. Since its inception, 36,147 books for students, 2,230 books for teachers, and 1,628 books for community members have been provided. As part of the project, a science-themed magazine has been developed for students.
III) Secondary Schools for Girls:
After years of conflict, the government of Afghanistan is beginning to make significant progress in the provision of basic education; however, secondary schools education is often not a possibility especially for girls. This is particularly the case in rural areas where there are fewer schools and resources, and more conservative attitudes may limit the ability of girls to further their education. In an attempt to fill the gap, CARE piloted community-based education project with private funding to provide specialized classes in grades seven through nine for girls in Khost. Since the beginning of the project in April 2006, 299 girls have enrolled in 14 secondary schools (with 15 grade eight classes) and 14 education committees have been established. During the last quarter, 42 teachers have been trained. This project aligns closely with the goals of the Afghan Ministry of Education for secondary schooling, and ensures that a new generation of women teachers will be able to teach girls in primary schools.
