USAID Higher Education
Presentation to the
Afghanistan University Linkages Conference
Ball State University
January 25, 2011
Dr. Malcom Phelps
Sr. Education Advisor
Office of Afghanistan Pakistan Affairs
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Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU)
2014: Education
“Developing Human Capital for Economic Growth”
•Qualified scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and
technologists available within Afghanistan.
•Metric : Percentage of male and female Afghan university graduates
hired in positions that support the Afghan government or economy.
•Access to primary education services is comparable to other countries in the region.
•Metric : Net Enrollment Rate (increased percentage of male and female school-age children enrolled in school.)
•Basic literacy skills of male and female students continues to progress.
•Metric : Proportion of students who, after two years of schooling, demonstrate sufficient reading fluency and comprehension to
“read to learn.”
•Increase supply of trained workers to support business and industry.
•Metric : The percentage of male and female grade nine graduates who matriculate to a Technical Vocational School.
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Current Education Portfolio
Higher Education is 30% of USAID portfolio; 2nd in world
• Improving Quality of University Education
– Higher Education Program (HEP)
• American University of Afghanistan (AUAf)
• Engaging & Preparing Youth for Work
– Skills Training for Afghan Youth (STAY)
•
Increasing Ministries’ Capacity to Deliver Services and to Govern the Education
Sector
–
•
Expanding Reach of the Primary School System
–
•
•
Partnership for Advancing Community Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A)
Textbook Printing
Building Workforce Readiness
–
•
Building Education Support Systems for Teachers (BESST)
Learning for Community Empowerment Program (LCEP-2)
International School of Kabul
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September2010
Overview - USAID Education
USAID’s education program develops the capacity of the Afghan
Government to achieve its education goals
• Aligned with MOE and MOHE
Strategic Plans – NESP2 & NHESP
•Aligned with the Afghanistan National
Development Strategy (ANDS) and
Kabul Conference Recommendations
• Investing to increase access to Basic
& Higher Education, and Literacy training
•Building Afghan capacity in teaching,
administration and e-learning.
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September2010
Afghanistan Higher Education Program (HEP)
• TECHNICAL
SUPPORT TO THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION
•Faculty training
•Developing the capacity of over 600 education faculty members in Afghanistan’s 16 four-year
teacher education institutions. Training is offered in curriculum and lesson planning, computer
literacy, English, natural sciences, and mathematics. To ensure that training will continue after HEP
concludes, more than 30 faculty members are now qualified to serve as trainers in these areas.
•Standards & Content Development
•Faculty members and institutions will participate in the development, adoption and implementation
of National Standards for Teacher Education. A comprehensive series of learning experiences, in a
range of subjects, will enable faculty members to acquire increased competency in critical
pedagogy, subject matter, disciplinary studies and education administration.
•Study abroad programs
•Sponsoring both short- and long-term study abroad programs to enable faculty members to earn
Master’s Degrees in English education and education management; certificates in teaching
English as a second language; and further expertise in management, institutional leadership, and
institutional planning.
•Afghan Master’s
•In cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, Kabul Education University, and the
University of Massachusetts, designed and offering a Master’s of Education (M.Ed) degree
program to produce professional university and secondary school educators.
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Higher Education - Successes
•
Technical support to MOHE in implementing
the NHESP and revitalizing higher education
•
Developed institutional capacity of MOHE and
management capacity of university
administrators (scholarships, in-country
training)
•
Supported high-quality teaching, research and
professional activities (e-learning, English)
•
Developed two new Masters degree programs
•
Increased access to higher education
institutions for provincial students by providing
a safe living environment in Kabul (dormitories)
•
Improving pre-service medical education to
support the provision of quality health services.
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6
.
Donor Coordination – Education
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Support to Human Resource
Development Board Secretariat
•
World Bank - SHEP
•
Denmark & CERP on school textbooks
•
Canada & Denmark on MOE’s
application to the Fast Track Initiative
•
EQUIP on teacher education
•
National Working Level Group on
Health & Education (USG & ISAF)
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Plans
 Emphasize “Afghanistan first”
 Assistance to government institutions
 Normalize assistance
 Focus country development goals
 Economic Growth, Agriculture, Energy
 Coordinate with donors, private sectors
 US-Afghanistan University Partnerships
 “Brain Circulation”
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Plans
 Goal: Improved ability of university programs to produce
workforce with relevant skills to support country
development goals by 2015
 Increased access to vocational/technical and tertiary
education and training for underserved and disadvantaged
groups
 Scholarships
 Revised admission procedures
 Improved quality of tertiary education and research in
support of country development priorities
 University partnerships and alliances
 Centers of excellence affiliated with universities to provide services to
and strengthen connection with the private sector
 Improved relevance and quality of workforce development
programs
 Partnerships with regional and U.S. institutions
 Industry-recognized skills certification;
 Career counseling and mentoring
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Thank You
Comments & Questions?
Additional questions or information, please contact:
Dr. Malcom Phelps (mphelps@usaid.gov)
Sr. Education Advisor
Afghanistan Pakistan Task Force
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