From the grassroots: NATIONAL REPORTS AFGHANISTAN No sustainable development without peace and security Decades of armed conflict and unrest have almost destroyed Afghanistan’s institutions and territory. Although the country has a new Government and a new Constitution, it faces major challenges in terms of sustainable development. One of these is how to ensure the right to education for both females and males. Despite remarkable progress in rebuilding the education system, the Government’s efforts have been insufficient and much remains to be done. Other challenges include tackling environmental problems and rehabilitating and managing the country’s natural resources. Watch on Basic Rights Afghanistan Organization (WBRAO) Basic Capabilities Index (BCI) Gender Equity Index (GEI) Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (CHA) Sanayee Development Organization (SDO) BCI = — 100 GEI = 15 100 Children reaching Empowerment 5th grade After decades of war and civil unrest Afghanistan faces multiple challenges, among them poverty and 25 lack of security. Armed conflicts resulted in more 0 n/d 0 than 1.5 million casualties and a nearly dismantled 4 17 education system. In September 2000, when the n/d Millennium Summit was held at the UN General 100 80 100 100 100 Assembly in New York, the country was still war- torn and could not participate. The Government Births attended Surviving under-5 Education Economic activity subsequently endorsed the eight Millennium De- velopment Goals (MDGs) in March 2004 but had also imposed many restrictions on educational ins- gures have increased from an estimated 5,000 under to modify the global timetable and benchmarks titutions and demanded that religion be emphasized the Taliban to 2.4 million girls as of 2010.9 because of its lost decades and the lack of availa- at the expense of other subjects.5 According to figures published by UNICEF, bet- ble information. Although the rest of the interna- After this educational and social collapse the coun- ween 2005 and 2009 the primary school attendance tional community determined the MDGs should try is slowly on the road to recovery, with significant ratio was 66% for males and 40% for females while be attained by 2015, against a baseline of 1990, enrolment of students since the new Government took the figures for secondary school were 18% for males Afghanistan set its targets for 2020 and its baseli- office. In the first years following the fall of the Taliban, and 6% for females. The secondary school enrol- nes between 2002 and 2005.1 The Government also education was a top priority for the Government as well ment rate, on the other hand, was 41% for males and stated that peace and security play a critical role in as for donors, with a focus on getting children back into 15% for females.10 achieving the MDGs and added “enhanced securi- school and a particular emphasis on the primary level.6 Efforts made to improve education in Afghanis- ty” as a ninth goal;2 indeed, peace and security are The Government is also striving to achieve MDG 3 (“to tan are now beginning to slow down, however. The key components of sustainable development and promote gender equality and empower women”) and Ministry of Education has undoubtedly made pro- any kind of long-term planning. has committed to eliminating gender disparity in all le- gress in improving both the availability and quality vels of education by 2020. The new Constitution states of education, but due to the large influx of students Advances in education that education should be free for all Afghan nationals over the past few years it is struggling to keep pace For a long time Afghanistan had very low rates of with no discrimination based on gender. with demand. With donors increasingly focused on school attendance and high percentages of illiteracy. Research by 16 local organizations led by Oxfam stabilization and counterinsurgency rather than de- This situation became worse under the Taliban rule: Novib shows that although there are still significant velopment, and with security deteriorating in many schools were closed and destroyed, curricula were obstacles to girls’ education there has also been pro- areas of the country, the gains made in improving restricted and women were banned from education. gress since 2001.7 The “Back to School” campaign girls’ education are in danger of slipping away. Between 1996 and 2001 women and girls were ex- launched in 2002 significantly expanded primary Parents and students are eager for high quality cluded from all aspects of educational life, from pri- school enrolment, which has shown a seven-fold education but they are increasingly frustrated by the lack mary school to university, as schools for girls were increase from approximately 900,000 in 2000 to 5 of progress. If there is not significant investment in post- closed and female teachers were prevented from million in 2008 (see also chart 1).8 For girls, the boost primary education there is the risk that these students working.3 Girls’ gross enrolment ratio in Kabul fell has been even more dramatic: official enrolment -fi “will be left behind, turned off, perhaps, and cut short from 32% in 1995 to just 6.4% in 1999.4 The Taliban in their personal, social and vocational development.”11 5 BBC World Service, op. cit. 1 UNDP Afghanistan, Afghanistan MDGs overview, <www. 6 Oxfam International, “High stakes: Girls’ education in 9 Ibid., 1388 (2009–10) school enrolment by grade, (2010), undp.org.af/MDGs/index.htm>. Afghanistan,” Joint NGO Briefing Paper,(Oxford: Oxfam GB, unpublished spreadsheet. 2 Ibid. 24 February 2011), <www.oxfam.org/en/policy/high-stakes- 10 UNICEF, Afghanistan: Statistics, <www.unicef.org/ 3 BBC World Service, Case study: education in Afghanistan, girls-education-afghanistan>. infobycountry/afghanistan_statistics.html>. <www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ 7 The Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium, 11 J.K. Intili and E. Kissam, How to do more, faster: The current ihavearightto/four_b/casestudy_art26.shtml>. Report card: Progress on Compulsory Education grades status of Afghanistan’s education system and a strategy to 4 American Institutes for Research with Hassan Mohammad, 1–9, (March 2004), <www.oxfamamerica.org/publications/ increase service capacity while improving learning,” (Aguirre Education and the role of NGOs in emergencies, Afghanistan afghanistan-education-report-card>. Division, JBS International, September 2008), <www. 1978–2002, (US Agency for International Development, 8 8 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ministry of Education, 1388 eurasiacritic.com/articles/how-do-more-faster-current-status- August 2006), <pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADG858.pdf>. (2009–10) school attendance, (2010), unpublished spreadsheet. afghanistan’s-education-system-and-strategy-increase>. National reports 60 Social Watch Education and gender equality FIGURE 1 According to an OXFAM report published in 2011, only 6% of Afghan women aged 25 or older have Number of children (female and male) attending primary education ever received any formal education and just 12% of women aged 15 or older are literate.12 Of those inter- 5,000,000 viewed for the report 41.2% named poverty as the single biggest obstacle to girls’ access to education and 39.4% stated that early or forced marriage was 4,000,000 another barrier. Among the other challenges regar- 13 ding gender equality in education are. 3,000,000 • There are not enough female teachers to meet the demand. More than a quarter (26.4%) of the individuals interviewed for the research named 2,000,000 the lack of a female teacher as a major obstacle to girls’ access to education. More than two-thirds of 1,000,000 teachers (68.4%) reported that their school does not have enough teachers. Of these, more than half (54.6%) stated that they only needed additional 0 female teachers, 27.3% said they needed both 1976 1984 1992 2000 2008 female and male teachers, 12.3% said they only needed male teachers and 5.7% were unsure. Source: Trading Economics • There are not enough education centres to meet tion, deforestation, overgrazing, desertification, over- again if precipitation – as forecast – drops below the demand. Nearly a quarter (23.7%) of those population in urban areas and the poor management normal parameters.22 interviewed saw distance from school as a major of fresh water resources.16 Military factions have used Over 80% of Afghanistan’s water resources origi- obstacle to girls’ access to education. Distance, wood extensively for fuel and also cleared forests to nate in the Hindu Kush Mountains but the larger glaciers along with attendance in mixed classes or inte- prevent them being used as hiding places for the op- in that region and the Pamir Mountains have shrunk by raction with male teachers, becomes increasin- posing forces.17 Uncontrolled logging of the eastern 30% and some smaller ones have vanished.23 More than gly problematic as girls approach adolescence conifer forests is having a severe impact on forest 2.5 million people in the country are already affected when cultural norms regulating their behaviour area conditions.18 by drought or are vulnerable to the effects of recurrent become more restrictive. As forest cover disappears, the risk of envi- drought and water shortages. This number is likely to • Many schools do not have the infrastructure ronmental degradation increases. Poor manage- increase due to global warming and further aridization.24 needed to provide quality education. Data from ment of forests leads to desertification and soil ero- the Ministry of Education shows that 47% of sion, which both inevitably reduce the amount of Conclusion schools lack proper facilities.14 These varied land available for agriculture.19 If this trend is not A new approach is urgently needed from both the significantly across research sites and were par- reversed, and if the Government does not enforce Government and donors if the gains made in educa- ticularly deficient in rural areas.