Cover(final) - United Nations Girls' Education Initiative

COUNTRY REPORT CARDS 11
Afghan girls unfortunately trail behind their
South Asian sisters in receiving an education,
with enrolments before 2001 officially zero.
However, this situation needs to be seen in the
context of government contending with active
conflict that has severely limited its ability to
realize its policies. Since 2001, girls’
enrolments in school have increased by more
than 500 per cent. 23 Even one-quarter of
parliamentarians are women, thanks to an
election quota. 24
But more widespread gender equality will be a
hard-fought battle. Only 12 per cent of women
are literate to this day. 25 Half the school age
population remains out of school. 26 Girls are
especially vulnerable.
Two-thirds of the girls who do manage to enrol
in primary school do not even survive to grade
five. 27 Classes conducted in the open air, or in
temporary tents, need to be in permanent
school buildings. 28 Teachers need to be
recruited, trained and deployed equitably across
the provinces.
When schools are far from village homes, they
are not considered to be safe, especially in
the Southern provinces, which affects the
enrolment especially of girls. The impact of
security issues on the education sector needs
to be addressed.
The task ahead is onerous, but the Karzai
government has shown the political will by
deploying 25 per cent of public expenditure to
education. 29 The Education Strategic Plan and
PRSPs also provide a clear direction. But the
real test lies in the implementation of this
vision with accountability. Donors, too, need
to ensure that their official aid does not bypass
the government but provides long-term
predictable finances to support the education
budget.
Today, an Afghan mother can expect her child
to live for only 44 years. 30 Afghanistan still has
a long journey to traverse to provide not only
good quality education for every child but also
raise the levels of human and gender
development.
23
Mojaddidi et al. (2006). Free Quality Education for Every Afghan Child. Oxfam Briefing Paper 93, Oxfam GB.
24
UNDP (2009). Human Development Report, Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development. New York: United Nations
Development Programme.
25
UNESCO Institute of Statistics. http://stats.uis.unesco.org (last retrieved November 2009).
26
Baker, A. (2008). Afghanistan’s Girl Gap. Karokh District, Herat, 17 January 2008, TIME http://www.time.com/time/magazine/
article/0,9171,1704654,00.html (last accessed by author November 2009).
27
UIS. ibid.
28
U.S. Department of State (2009). Human Rights Report 2008: Afghanistan. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour,
Washington: US Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/sca/119131.htm (last retrieved November 2009).
29
UIS. ibid.
30
UNDP (2009). ibid.