Twenty-eighth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

The Aga Khan Education Service Afghanistan (AKES,A) has been supporting 11 highly remote government schools (4 schools are located in areas with no telecom signals) in Baghlan, Balkh, Badakhshan and Kunduz since 2013. After school tutorial sessions, library enrichment, teacher training, social accountability sessions, and School Management Shura (SMS) members training and mentoring are key project activities. Utilizing an applied research format, the author reports on the AKES,A activities. Where needed, references are made to both internally and externally conducted research studies. The paper discusses in detail the easily replicable remedial education program model: ‘extra teachers, extra tutorials’. Findings of an impact evaluation of the model are briefly discussed afterwards. Next, the authors consider lessons learned in identification of struggling students, teacher recruitment, teacher training, curriculum development/review, class schedule development and relationship building with stakeholders. After that, the authors review two program models as part of its future programming: a modified remedial education program of ‘extra teachers, extra tutorials’ in schools located in highly remote areas and ‘tutorials led by technology’ in semi-urban areas. The study argues that any support to poor performing schools should adopt a multi-faceted approach as recent surveys suggests so and AKES,A has learned this through its experience. The World Bank’s survey (2017), a SABER service delivery survey in Afghanistan, demonstrates that a combination of four factors drive the learning crisis in Afghanistan: unskilled teachers, weak school management practices, lack of school inputs and infrastructure, and unsupported learners.