By Bilquees Daud (19 December 2020)
Afghanistan has been experiencing violent, armed conflict for four decades now, which apart from inflicting human and material losses, have also left a deep social and psychological impact on the Afghan society. It has given rise to a ’new normal’ i.e., a growing culture of violence at both the political level as well as at the inter-personal and community level. Moreover, this is also mirrored, amongst others, notably in the educational curriculum of the country that ironically over the years of conflict was molded with the intention of condoning or justifying the systematic use of violence. The immense significance attached to the educational system as a means to establish‚ ideological hegemony can be gauged from the fact that the regime change was accompanied by drastic curricular changes.
Besides, different foreign, regional, and local leaders formed and funded the education system following their political agenda. The purpose of education is to enable the new generation to develop the society and work for the betterment of their country. In Afghanistan, however, the case has been the opposite, be it during Communists, Mujahedeen, Taliban, and the initial years of the current government, education has been used as a tool for propaganda. Particularly, the period of Sovietization and Islamization badly affected the education system and made it to be a place for political rivalry among superpowers.
Although the developments that took place in the country after the Taliban’s defeat in 2001 is significant, it is far from sustainable. The international community put efforts in the reconstruction process of the country through pledging millions of dollars in funds in different sectors, education being notable among the non-military sectors to receive the aid. The number of children in schools has risen steadily from under 1 million in 2001 to 8.5 million between 2002 to 2019 of which 38% are girls (UNICEF, 2019). The government also moved to establish education clusters among governmental and non-governmental bodies to design policies and infrastructure needed for this sector’s improvement. Additionally, the education sector has been identified as one of the six priority areas of the Afghanistan Trust Fund (Marsden, 2003, p. 96).
Despite these positive signs of progress, deep concerns persist, as the attention given to the education sector is heavily centered in the capital and big cities that kept the children from rural areas out of their reach. Teaching materials in schools need a comprehensive overhaul, in particular, weeding out textbooks promoting ideas of violence and radicalization. Illiteracy rates remain high with 70% of the country’s population being illiterate and the figure being much higher 85% for women in comparison to the national average (Riphenburg, 2006, p. 512). Insecurity, violence, and poverty are the main obstacles to access to education for millions of children. Noteworthy in this context is the finding by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report which states that: “Approximately 3.7 million children remain out-of-school. Girls and children with disabilities are especially vulnerable. About 60 percent of the out-of-school children are girls, and only 5 percent of children with disabilities are able to access education” (UNICEF, 2019).
On the other hand, with over 63.7% of the Afghan population under the age of 25, the highest number in the region, the high number of uneducated, unemployed, and frustrated youth renders them more vulnerable to engage with armed groups and/or other crimes (UNFPA, 2019). Thus, besides the numbers of the schools established and students attend the classes; the quality of education is also an issue of profound consideration to be reflected in the education system owed by the violent and politicized education history. The Ministry of Education, however, claims that the new curriculum includes “cross cutting issues such as human rights, gender, cultural and Islamic values” (Response to EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2011, p. 9).
Given the potentials education hold towards molding the country’s future social and political trajectories, there is a need for a reflection and engagement with processes that facilitated the embedding of ideas of violence in Afghanistan’s educational curriculum. The task at hand becomes even more relevant yet challenging at the same time in the light of the renewed armed conflict, following more than a decade of international military intervention in Afghanistan which has not transformed into the country graduating into a post-conflict phase. Also, with the highest rate of youth population and the highest ever rate of school enrollment in Afghan history, educational tools hold the potential for a social transformation away from a culture of violence on an unprecedented scale.
Therefore, to achieve long-term peace and preserve it, all sectors of society including education should correspond to the value of peace sustainably. In the case of Afghanistan too, peacebuilding will be successful if it is institutionalized in each sector. In the education sector, the incorporation of non-violent and peace education that encompasses critical elements of social solidarity, integrity, and harmony will help the society to maintain peace.
Peace education is defined as education “…for transforming consciousness and worldviews towards a culture of peace and non-violence…. developing a critical understanding of root causes of conflicts and violence, and empowering learners to dismantle a culture of violence and to build a peaceful self and world” (Shaban, 2012, p. 10). Peace education associated with non-violent mechanisms is also an essential ingredient of contemporary peace-building processes that helps in rehabilitating the social fabric by overcoming and healing the trauma of the violent past.
The incorporation of peace education in Afghanistan’s educational curriculum is hence needed and has the potential to contribute towards bringing about social solidarity amongst its people. By inculcating values and skills of peace, non-violence, openness, tolerance, and skills to negotiate differences and conflicts among the youth it can make a useful contribution towards creating sustainable peace and security. Support by international actors to peace education would be an effective way of demonstrating sustained commitment towards rebuilding Afghanistan following military disengagement from the country. In that, it is hoped, as seen globally, that peace education will help build necessary skills in the new generation to fashion a spirit of equality, understanding, and respect for human rights and dignity for all citizens of Afghanistan regardless of their ethnicity, religion, sex, views, political affiliations, social status, and economic standing as long as they refrain from using violence.
(Bilquees Daud is currently teaching at Jindal Global University. She holds a Graduate degree in Social Sciences from the American University of Afghanistan and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt Germany. She has extensive work experience with local and international organizations, universities, and research centers in Afghanistan and abroad. She is the author of several research and analytical articles, published by different sources including Project for Democratic Union, The Diplomat, BBC Pashto, and IIC Quarterly.)
General Directorate General Education, Department of Basic and Secondary Education. (2012). Policy Guidelines for Community Based Education. Kabul: Ministry of Education.
Marsden, P. (2003). Afghanistan: The Reconstruction Process. International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-), Vol.79(No.1), 91-105.
Response to EFA Global Monitoring Report . (2011). Hidden Crisis: Armed Conflict and Education. Kabul: Afghanistan Section.
Riphenburg, C. J. (2006). Afghanistan: Out of the Globalisation Mainstream? Third World Quarterly, Vol.27(No.3), 507-524.
Shaban, M. (2012). Peace Education in Palestine. Montreal: Palestinian National Authority Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
UNICEF. (2011). Education in Afghanistan. Kabul: United Nations Children’s Fund.
UNICEF. (2019). The Government of Afghanistan Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF and a coalition of UN, NGO partners and donors launch a multi-year education response programme to benefit ½ million children annually. Retrieved Dec 15,2020 from: United Nations Children’s Fund:
UNFPA. (2019). World Population Dashboard Afghanistan. Retrieved Dec 15, 2020, from United Nations Population Fund: https://www.unfpa.org/data/world-population/AF http://www.undp.org.af/whoweare/undpinafghanistan/Projects/dcse/prj_youth.htm
