Afghan Education; Challenges and Solutions Part (3)

Recommended Strategies to Improve Afghan Education

After digging into the internal problems and external challenges of the Afghan education in two distinct circles, we now focus on recommended strategies and solutions to improve Afghan education hoping that it will attract the attention of policy makers and those involved in the education sector:

1- Harmony with International Standards:

The country’s education system must meet international standards and keep Afghanistan in harmony with the caravan of human progress for another decade or two. The philosophy of our education, along with the national and Islamic values, is the transfer of love for humanity, the need for peace and coexistence, and the validation of common human values to the children of the country.

Furthermore, in addition to educating students, focus should be attained to their tutelage so that examples of ethics, tools of science, logic and literature come to life and thoughts beyond color and smell are represented in society.

2- Enhancing Management Level:

Proper knowledge management is very important in the education sector and the country’s education system, reducing the volume of textbooks due to different mental and learning abilities of the students can improve the simplicity of students’ learning and is one of the good practices in regards with knowledge management in Afghanistan.

Purposefulness and raising the quality of education through using modern, positive and dual models is one of the ways to improve Afghan education, because the use of dual methods (technical and vocational education, research and analysis) is a leading and positive example Germany that can help us in the process of improving our education.

The professional section should be taught scientifically and theoretically, the theoretical part should be taught in schools and the practical part should be taught in related institutions. This method is the shortest way to raise the goal set by the Ministry of Education to raise the quality level in 2017-2021. Moreover, this method can be useful for the 11th and 12th grader students to become prepared for the undergraduate term.

3- Regulating Budget and Allocating Excessive Expenditure:

Efforts to make better use of the current budget structure and information systems to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of government resources. Analyze and evaluate the performance and performance of educational and training systems and provide the required financial resources according to the necessity to receive the figures and statistics that are obtained through multiple information management systems. Management of information systems unit for better monitoring and reporting on results and evaluation.

There is a dire need for Afghanistan to invest more in meeting the needs of education and improving standardized and balanced education. Because of the fact that poor and incapable educational conditions and facilities cause the vulnerability of education, thus, there is an urgent need for Afghanistan to focus more on allocating investment and excessive expenditures in order to improve the quality of educational and teaching systems, as well as the provision of desirable materials.

As expected, the current pressure to create and build the infrastructure needed for schools at the national level will be weakened by a significant reduction in the population of school-age children in the future, so planning to allocate budget in the long-term should meet the needs. Focus should be attained on maintaining and caring for schools, as well as the educational and curriculum needs of schools.

4- Teacher Capacity Building

Increasing access and paving the way for students to participate in educational programs based on the facilities available in the community, especially in rural and insecure areas where the presence of students in the school is considered a major threat to their lives. However, given the variety of approaches and related costs, the design of a coordinated and desirable service package should be a priority for the government and the international aid agencies.

Preparing a plan to attract more female teachers and provide incentive privileges, implement and provide in-service training programs to improve the work capacity that teacher training should be held at the provincial level. Holding short-term teacher training courses or teaching methods that acquaint inexperienced teachers with new teaching methods. School administrations can help with programs such as familiarizing teachers with educational activities, a variety of design and implementation methods, and evaluating educational activities during the training of esteemed professors to help them achieve their goals, which include education and training.

5- Strengthening Relationships between Parents and School Administration:

In this regard, association of parents and teachers could be established and expanded at the school level. In some meetings of the association, professionals and educational and training experts should be invited to give scientific and educational speeches. Parents’ cooperation with the school administration is the best way to help the school fulfill its responsibilities and increase students’ commitment to the lessons. These meetings could be held at least two or three times a year if not monthly. Parents who work with the school should be acknowledged during the meetings.

6- Using Modern Teaching Methods:

Respected teacher should use different teaching methods during teaching especially for elementary classes, as we have stated in the challenges, the foundation of education is laid in elementary classes. If a child becomes interested in teaching in the same period, it can take years seek to learn. This can be done by the pupils. The school and the teacher have the most role in this regard. They are the ones who prepare the students to enter the community, thus it is appropriate for the respected teachers to use modern methods in the field of education in order to provide awake and conscious human beings to the society.

The teacher’s lesson solely deals with the soul and psyche and the feelings of the students. If it is not implemented properly, it, then, will have devastating results. This can be done with a story, executive principles, some class activities, and interesting sentences that serve the purpose of the lesson. Successful teaching methods can be easily attained by teachers with hard work, interest in teaching, experience, research and study.

7- Building Self-Confidence in Students:

Pajard, and expert of educational issues, believes that the problems of many students in the school are not due to their incapacity, but to the fact that they cannot perform the duties of the school properly or succeed.   Afghanistan is one of the countries with the most problems, which has left different effects of depression and hopelessness on the future. These thoughts are passed on from families to students, causing students to feel disinterested and incapable of advancing their lessons. One of the important tasks of respected teachers in the school is to motivate students during teaching and to strengthen their self-confidence.

8- Supporting Private Schools:

Private schools, to a large extent, can help the country’s education sector to achieve its goals, because there is no cost to the public education sector. In addition, the density of students there is less, and it is better to reach out the students. If respectable families have got good economic conditions, they should send their children to private schools. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education should work more closely with private schools and solve their problems.

9- Preparation for Online Teaching:

Eventually, the global COVID-19 pandemic has shown that one cannot always rely on imitative teachings and in-class lessons and teaching, but that there may be situations in which it is impossible for students and professors to attend school. Therefore, the Ministry of Education must be prepared to develop the necessary applications and facilities to advance the practice of distance learning, and, as in the current situation, which has constricted millions of children, young people and adolescents in their homes. The infrastructure should not sit still, but should be able to provide education services for the largest number of children in the country for free, if necessary, as other countries have actually done.

Wishing a standard and good education for all the children of the country.