Reach Out to Asia (Rota), Qatar’s leading educational non-profit organization, is celebrating the inauguration of two new community schools serving 344 primary and secondary students in Khost Province of eastern Afghanistan.
With funding support from Rota, on October 2011 CARE International in Afghanistan began implementing a three-year project that draws on its extensive experience and lessons learned in community-based education.
The project is designed to establish and support Community Based Education (CBE) classes to assist the Government of Afghanistan in meeting the right to quality basic education for 3,154 children (54 percent girls) in respective grades (2,554 primary and 600 lower secondary).
In particular, education services are being emphasized for returnees, IDPs and communities prone to conflict in three provinces of Afghanistan (Kapisa, Ghazni, and Khost), specifically in areas where government education facilities do not reach.
Further, CARE is maintaining its focus on girls’ secondary education while continuing to support community-based primary education. Both primary and secondary approaches are incorporating CARE’s experience in adapting INEE guidelines (ineesite.org/index.php/post/inee_handbook/) to ensure effective and healthy learning environments even in the harshest of rural situations.
A strength of the CBE model is that it focuses on setting up quality education services in communities beyond the reach of the education system, by establishing classes in homes or mosques and training local residents known and trusted by the community to serve as teachers.
As the community gains an appreciation of its own education services it tends to raise the issue of constructing its own school. Thus, these two new schools in Khost province - designed with three classrooms, an administration room, toilet facilities, a playground and a secure surrounding wall - are an indication of these communities’ increased appreciation for the value of education for their children, including their girls.
In line with CARE’s Education program “ground up” approach to improving access to education through high level stakeholder engagement (particularly community members through male and female School Management Committees [SMCs]), the construction of the schools was a community-centered process throughout all phases (including the allocation of land for school construction, the selection of teachers, and monitoring of school affairs and progress). As such, CARE has taken key steps to fostering community ownership and long-term sustainability together with Ministry of Education (MoE) stakeholders.
Currently, the Mata Cheena Community School, located in Matun District, provides educational opportunities for 244 female students (44 secondary and 200 primary), while the Hassan Mohammad Community School in neighboring Mandozi district ensures educational opportunities for approximately 100 female students (33 secondary graders and 67 primary graders).
“Investment in education is the best defense against poverty and suffering in Afghanistan. In partnership with CARE International, we are committed to providing a comprehensive community based learning environment that sets high standards for its students while strengthening families’ abilities to be strong advocates for their children’s education,” expressed by Rota Director, Mr. Essa Al Mannai.
The inauguration ceremonies for the Mata Cheena and Hassan Mohammad community schools were held on March 25 and 26 respectively, and were attended by community members, MoE District Education Officials, local authorities, CARE representatives, parents, teachers, and students enrolled in the schools. During the ceremonies, project stakeholders at all levels voiced the importance of community support in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the newly-built schools.
The excerpts below capture the shared sentiment among participants: “Every speaker reiterated their support for a common mission - to encourage Afghanistan’s younger generation in obtaining a good quality education in a safe and secure environment. The walls of the school buildings were decorated by posters encouraging parents to support the children’s right to a quality, equitable education for both girls and boys, “expressed by Mr. Essa Al Mannai.
“All the students, teachers and community members are incredibly proud and thankful for the new Rota community schools as it’s the first time any child in either district has been able to begin the academic year in a new school building,” expressed by Lamis Sabra International Programs Manager.
In the period ahead, CARE intends to expand school construction to support girls’ secondary CBE education in Kapisa province, where classes are generally held in makeshift learning spaces (e.g., a house, mosque, or village hall).
Furthermore, CARE will also continue to work district and provincial education departments of MoE to identify eligible communities for project assistance (i.e. communities where there is long-standing unmet needs, which are beyond the coverage area of government and other agencies) and to build their institutional capacity to provide advisory and supervisory support to these communities. Through previous and ongoing initiatives, the CBE model has proven effective in addressing the twin challenges of lack of government capacity to serve remote areas and community reluctance to girls’ school attendance.
To cite the words of Mr. Essa Al Mannai:
“The reconstruction of the Afghan educational system is far from complete. More girls are now attending school in Afghanistan, yet there are still around two million students living in rural areas, many in refugee camps, who continue to be denied their right to education.”
