Steps Towards Afghan Girls’ Education Success (STAGES)

The STAGES project supported 30,002 girls in Afghanistan.

Part one of the project completed implementation in June 2021
Part two of the project completed implementation in October 2023

Before the regime change in 2021, there were many pre-existing structural, cultural and geographic barriers and challenges that limited girls’ access to education. This included social norms which placed low value on girls’ education linked to extremist interpretations of Islam, an inability to afford the costs of education, linguistic barriers, limited employment opportunities which further devalued girls’ education, and a lack of accessibility to schools, particularly in rural and remote communities. With the takeover by the Taliban in 2021, the situation rapidly deteriorated and the authorities officially closed girls’ secondary schools in March 2022. The reality is that many girls have not continued with their education since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project established primary and lower secondary community-based education (CBE) classes and accelerated learning programme classes in remote communities. CBE classes were complemented by additional activities including teacher training and school management councils (school shuras), renovation of schools and classrooms, as well as the provision of school equipment, facilities, learning resources and remedial support for struggling students. The second phase of the project, targeted out-of-school girls who were unable to access government schools, including girls who lived in remote areas, girls with disabilities and girls who did not speak the language of instruction. The project provided opportunities to access education opportunities through a CBE model.

Main activities

• Providing CBE, accelerated learning and life skills programmes for girls in remote and marginalised communities.
• Supporting students in government schools through additional academic, supervisory and infrastructure support.
• Recruiting and training teachers in inclusive, student-centred and gender-equitable teaching methods.
• Establishing and supporting peer groups in CBE communities and School Student Associations in government school communities, to teach girls leadership skills.
• Supporting young women to become teachers through a teaching apprenticeship programme and grants to attend Teacher Training Colleges.
• Engaging with communities, particularly with parents, local leaders and community elders through community support groups known as “school shura”. Establishing School Management Councils (SMCs) to support CBE classes.

The project in numbers

Lessons learned

There are key factors which can improve or limit learning outcomes and attendance. Factors which positively influenced the literacy and numeracy outcomes included the ability of households to meet basic needs, the amount of time reading and whether or not a girl participated in peer support groups. Barriers which impacted learning outcomes included the availability of toilets for girls, lack of safety when travelling to school and household chores. Consistent attendance was attributed to the attentiveness of school management councils and classroom teachers.

The engagement of school shuras in each community underpinned the achievements of the project. Shura members played an important role in making sure that the CBE classes were running properly. Teachers were accountable to them and shura members reached out to field officers when there were concerns on teaching quality. This high level of remote monitoring was invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic and in times of security risks.

Teacher training should focus on improving learners’ numeracy and critical thinking. Girls noted that they found maths challenging, which was often associated with how this subject was being taught. This was generally teacher-directed, rather than activity-based.

More attention needs to be given menstrual health management interventions to improve attendance. Feedback from girls suggested that menstruation was a prominent reason why girls may miss class, despite the provision of hygiene kits. Further attention needs to be given to the issue of absences associated with menstruation to ensure it does not affect the learning of girls.