USAID/SWSS
Hand pump mechanic explains different parts of a hand pump to community trainees in December, 2010.
The month of November marks the end of the school year in cold-climate provinces of Afghanistan. For almost 30,000 primary-grade students in classes established and supported by USAID’s Partnership for Advancing Community Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A) project, it is a busy time of intense concentration. Students in lower grades sit for math and language exams, while students in grades 4-6 also include science, history, and geography in their exam lineup.
In remote areas that remain beyond the reach of the Ministry of Education system, PACE-A expands educational opportunities by training teachers, providing school supplies, and helping communities to establish committees to actively support the classes. Students follow the government curriculum, and PACE-A assists in registering their annual exam results with Ministry authorities. This helps ensure that community-based students are eligible to pursue further education in the formal education system.
Most community-based students are the first generation in their family to read and write, and they are full of ambition. “I am very pleased that I reached grade six, and I am very keen to continue my education and become a doctor in the future. Establishment of a community-based education school in our village was a golden chance for us, and we used this chance for the betterment of our future,” said Jeena from Kapisa Province.