After almost a quarter-century of internecine warfare, Afghanistan is now battling to restore the country's shattered educational infrastructure. A central challenge for Afghan education officials is coping with the so-called "lost generation" of students those who had their education interrupted by conflict.
Education is the single largest item in the Afghan government's $1.7 billion development budget this year. Next year, education funding is slated to nearly double, from $250 million to $475 million. The year after, Afghanistan's Finance Ministry projects that educational needs will consume $600 million.
But these figures reflect the government's projected needs, and do not necessarily represent the amount of money that the Afghan government can attract or spend efficiently. The government is already running a $242 million developing budget financing gap, according to an Asian Development Bank report issued earlier this summer. Afghanistan also has a $234 million deficit on the recurrent budget.
Education Minister Yunus Qanooni, recently warned shortfalls might force school closures, of which unsubstantiated reports have surfaced in Afghanistan's provinces. Qanooni said in April that he had less than half the money he needed to equip schools for enrolled students. Donor officials involved in education insist acknowledged shortfalls are not causing shutdowns - at least not yet.
Keiko Miwa, the World Bank's educational team leader, says the education ministry's $250 million request was a "bit unrealistic" in its first year. "More important is to ask whether they can [effectively] spend 90 million dollars," she said in a recent telephone interview.
Afghan officials seem to give priority to renovating buildings, as well as providing textbooks and other tangibles, according to a recent draft evaluation by the World Bank. Donors, meanwhile, would like to see the school system focus more on educational outputs and process, including engaging private or community-based organizations. The latter strategy, the Bank reasons, would stimulate other sectors and could discourage corruption. "But that message is not coming across at the ministry of education," concedes Miwa, who suggests "more policy dialogue" on the subject is needed.
Qanooni, a member of the former Northern Alliance and a close ally of Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and Defense Minister Mohammed Fahim, brings limited credentials to such a dialogue. Prior to assuming the education post, Qanooni served as interior minister. He yielded that position in order to allow increased Pashtun representation in President Hamid Karzai's cabinet. [For background, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. According to Nina Papadopoulos, who previously ran the International Rescue Committee's Afghan education efforts, Qanooni has worked hard. "It is not enough to say he is not the best guy," she reasons, "because I am not sure who the right guy would be."
In 1979, the start of the Soviet army's occupation, roughly 54 percent of Afghan boys and 12 percent of girls attended primary school. More than two decades of war - and the Taliban
Ken Stier is a freelance journalist with experience throughout the Caucasus and Asia.
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