After Return

8. Education and training
Overview
Education is a critical element of a young person’s
growth, development and transition to adulthood.
This chapter examines education outcomes for young
returnees, exploring the extent to which the young
people monitored for this report prioritise education upon
return, the degree of success experienced in accessing
education, and the key barriers faced by those who
want to move forward with their studies.
Key trends and statistics
The desire to continue in education is a recurring theme
amongst the young returnees monitored for this report,
with 20 identifying this as a high priority. However, only
two have succeeded in accessing education since
their return to Afghanistan. The most significant barrier
faced by the young returnees has been the need to
invest their time and energy into work in order to survive.
Gaps in previous education, issues with certification
of prior learning and the cost of study have also been
prohibitive.
92%
8%
23
2
Issues experienced
Not in education
since return
In education (at
any point) since
return
Figure 21. Access to education following return
Education context in
Afghanistan
Despite significant gains in provision of basic primary
education across large parts of Afghanistan in
recent years, the educational landscape for the
young people this report is concerned with remains
bleak. Primary Gross Enrolment Rates (GER) have
risen dramatically over the last ten years, 46 and yet
attendance rates remain relatively low, at 64.4%
for boys and 48.3% for girls. 47 Attendance rates in
secondary school drop further to 42% for male
students and 23.2% for female learners. 48 Those
students who are able to attend school encounter
the risk of targeted attacks on education by antigovernment
groups. In 2014, schools were attacked
in 163 verified incidents. 49 These incidents included
29 attacks or threats of attack against protected
personnel, and 28 incidents of placement of IEDs
inside school premises. Of the 163 verified incidents,
94 were attributed to the Taliban and other armed
groups and one to international forces. The
remaining 68 attacks could not be attributed.
46 UNICEF. 2015.
47 ibid.
48 ibid.
49 Office of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict.
2015.
In addition to targeted attacks on schools, at least
469 schools remained closed across Afghanistan as
a result of insecurity, interrupting education for an
estimated 100,000 children. 50
In contrast, the last decade has also seen the
emergence of a highly educated young Afghan
elite, who have completed university, often in Kabul
or internationally, and are competing for work in the
political, business and international NGO sectors. 51 It
is into this polarised context that the young people
studied for this report have returned.
The majority of young returnees interviewed for this
report were already in their early teens when they
left Afghanistan in the mid to late 90s or early 2000s,
and therefore not young enough to have benefitted
from the above-mentioned increased access to
primary school.
Their education (or lack of) in Afghanistan has
been supplemented to varying degrees by studies
undertaken in the UK (see figure 22). For the majority
of young returnees, this has meant studying English
for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), at times
with integrated numeracy and IT programmes. For
others, they have managed to complete, or partially
complete BTEC National Diplomas in subjects
including business, IT and mechanics.
50 ibid.
51 Rarick, W. et al. 2013.
After Return 32