Afghanistan Toward Inclusive Education - MDG Policy Network

• Development of List of Concepts & Terminologies related to inclusive and child-friendly
education
• The EENET (Enabling Education Network) Asia Newsletter has been translated and
published online in Dari and Pashto. This newsletter promotes practical approaches to
inclusive education and publishes success stories on inclusive and child-friendly education
from countries where there are few resources.
• Capacity Building and Development within the Ministry of Education
• Several workshops on IE held for senior faculty of the Kabul Education University.
• Weekly lectures on IE have been given to students in the Bachelor Programme for
Special Education using ‘Embracing Diversity – Toolkit on Inclusive, Learning-Friendly
Environment’.
• An Open Lecture for more than 60 students from Kabul University on inclusive education
was held in October 2009.
Key Elements of Success:
• Strong support from senior members of the Ministry of Education
• Strong support and interest among school administrators, headmasters and teachers
• Strong support from parents
• NESP II (National Education Strategic Plan) is now promoting inclusive education which secures
sustainability.
• Enrolment of hundreds of children who have been out of school in the 29 pilot schools
• Increased awareness among parents and community members about a right-based approach to
education, inclusive education and child-friendly approaches
• Strong local partners developed
• An effective Inclusive Education Coordination Working Group (IECWG) established under the
Education Development Board (EDB) with key national and international stakeholders
• Close collaboration and coordination with Ministry of Education, other government institutions,
as well as with our other partners in IECWG
• Strong support from the Education Working Group (General and Islamic Education)
Lessons Learned:
• The importance of strong ownership among Afghan stakeholders
• The importance of working with different levels of the education system, from pre-primary,
primary, secondary to tertiary education institutions
• Institutionalisation of change – close collaboration with teacher education and training
institutions and programmes
Background Information:
The project is based on the principles of such frameworks as the UN Convention against Discrimination
in Education (1960), UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), the World Declaration on
Education For All (EFA) (1990), the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs
Education (1994), the Dakar Framework – EFA (2000), the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
(2000), the Afghan Constitution (2004), the Afghan Education Law (2008), and the Needs & Rights
Assessment on Inclusive Education in Afghanistan (2009).
Implementation Partners:
SIDA; Ministry of Education; Kabul Education University; the member organisations of the Inclusive
Education Coordination Working Group (IECWG) – among others: Afghan Association of the Blind
(AAB); Afghan Association of the Deaf (ANAD); Handicap International; International Committee of
the Red Cross/Crescent (ICRC) (ANAD); MACCA; Save the Children; SERVE, Swedish Committee for
Afghanistan (SCA); UNESCO; UNICEF
Contacts:
Marina Patrier, Education Programme Specialist
UNESCO Kabul
Tel: 00 93 798154289
E-mail: m.patrier@unesco.org