Hello David and all--
 
Thanks for these 'big picture' questions!  I'll give some partial answers (about current systems) and in a few days, get back with some more details about the past from Afghan colleagues who know this history with regard to adult literacy efforts during the over two decades of conflict. 
 
According to documents from the Afghan Ministry of Education, government-sponsored literacy programs started in Afghanistan in 1971.  For the period 1980 -2002, there is no data available about the numbers of participants and teachers by gender. (There were literacy programs carried out by nongovernmental organizations -- it is these details that I'll try to report on later).  In 1977 (the year for which gender-specific data is available), there were 395 men teachers and 36 female teachers, with ca 15,000 male students and 1,000 female students.  In 2004, the Ministry's Department of Literacy and Nonformal Education reported ca.170,000 men and 215,500 women participating in literacy courses across the country, through regional and local literacy centers.  While in the past there were a variety of literacy programs (general adult literacy; literacy for out of school youth; literacy for farmers, laborers, nomads, soldiers), the only ones functioning at present through the Department are general adult literacy and literacy for out of school children.  
 
As you can imagine, there are multiple initiatives underway to address the fact that Afghanistan's literacy rates are among the lowest in the world.  (For the population over 15 years of age, the basic literacy rates are estimated at 46% for men and 16% for women.)  The Department of Literacy and Nonformal Education, in partnership with UNESCO, has developed a new literacy and nfe curriculum framework and materials, which are scheduled to be printed and available by the end of this year.  Donor agencies (UNESCO, UNICEF and USAID, among many others) have programs that are addressing literacy needs of specific groups -- women being the largest and most needy; other 'target' groups include ethnic and linguistic minorities; poor and marginalized groups; ex-combatants; people with disabilities.  Some programs are general in nature; others focus on health, micro-enterprise development or vocational preparation.  And at least one (LCEP, mentioned in other emails) is focusing on the literacy needs of communities as they try to develop local resources, including governance and economic opportunities.   Sometime in the near future, representatives of these governmental and nongovernmental agencies will be holding discussions about a national coordinated literacy strategy (and campaign perhaps) for Afghanistan.  
 
In my next email, I'll give more information.  Right now I have to sign off, as I've just been given a signal that the generator is going down!
 
Brenda
 

________________________________

From: womenliteracy-bounces at dev.nifl.gov on behalf of David Rosen
Sent: Thu 11/17/2005 8:09 PM
To: The Women & Literacy Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WomenLiteracy] Literacy opportunity in Afghanistan



Hello Brenda,

Perhaps you can give us a little history of adult education in 
Afghanistan, focusing on women's education.  For example, what was 
women's education in Afghanistan like twenty years ago, ten years 
ago, and today?  How is adult education administered and delivered -- 
through a government nonformal education agency and nongovernmental 
provider organizations? How has the content of classes (or 
tutorials?) changed? Who are the teachers and how are they trained? 
How are students "recruited" ? What challenges do women students face 
that men may not (but also what challenges do men face)?  How is 
education conducted when there is armed conflict?

All the best,

David

David J. Rosen
 

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