In remote parts of Afghanistan, it is difficult to find adults with the 12th grade education that the formal education system requires of its teachers.  USAID’s Partnership for Advancing Community Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A) helps to ensure that children in these underserved areas receive an education.  PACE-A has worked with more than 3,000 remote communities to establish community-based classes and trained 3,100 people with less formal education to serve as their primary grade teachers.

Besides subject knowledge, training programs provide teachers with pedagogical tools such as ways to incorporate no-cost local materials as teaching aids.  Teachers and students alike are noticing the benefits of these innovative approaches, and the reputation of PACE-A training is spreading.  Recently, when trainers arrived in Hirat Province, they found two young women who were not on the official list of participants among their group of expectant trainees.  The women turned out to be students from a nearby high school who wanted to join the training as volunteers.

The young women almost changed their minds when they found that the training included both male and female trainees.  However, they decided to stay, explaining, “Our enthusiasm and interest did not allow us [to leave], and we said we will join like other female trainees.  We would like to attend this training to gain more knowledge, and we don’t want any privileges for our participation.”  Other young people are also interested.  “Every time, please consider [inviting] two to three students of higher grades to your training as volunteers,” they recommended.  A positive, if unintended, outcome of the PACE-A program seems to be inspiring enthusiasm for teaching among young Afghans!