Islamic Republic of Afghanistan - Enhanced Integrated Framework ...

This is one area where programs designed tomeet benchmarks defined in terms of enrolmentor coverage fail to give adequate considerationto the quality of the service being provided.Increased priority will be given toteacher training and other mechanisms to encourageprivate sector investment in educationalactivities.Vocational training will become an increasingfocus of attention. There is an urgent need toaddress problems in the vocational educationsector that include staff shortages, overbuilding,lack of standardization in training courses,and qualifications that are difficult for potentialemployers to assess. A new organization, theNational Vocational Education and TrainingAuthority (NVETA), will be established andwill: (i) manage, but not operate, all vocationaltraining institutions; (ii) set minimum corecompetencies for courses, carry out accreditation,and inspect vocational institutions, to ensurethat they meet minimum standards; and(iii) call for tenders by ministries or by the privatesector to operate vocational training facilitiesowned by the Government.The potential role of the private sector has beenexpanded considerably in this strategy. In theprimary and secondary education area therewill be an expansion in private and NGOschools, encouraged by a more accommodatingregulatory environment. In higher educationthe university cooperation plans that have alreadycommenced will allow universities inAfghanistan to interact and be supported byrecognized foreign universities. NVETA willcontract with private sector groups or NGOsfor provision of educational services. Someareas will be left to the private sector, includingpreschool education.Culture, media and youthThe ANDS strategic objective for this sector is:(i) to create awareness and foster a sense ofpride in the country’s history, future, cultureand achievements; (ii) to document and preservecultural artifacts and heritage sites; (iii) toensure an independent and pluralistic mediathat contributes to an open and democratic society;and (iv) to foster a sense of confidenceamong the young that they can contribute toand benefit from a stable and prosperous thecountry. An accessible and well maintainedcultural artifacts data base and the cultural artifactscollection held by the Ministry will be expanded.In the longer term, museums will beestablished and or expanded and historical orheritage sites will be protected. Media legislationwill be enacted to provide a stable andpredictable environment in which a largelyprivately run and independent media can operate.Media will be employed as an educationaltool in addition to entertainment. Keypriorities include a country-wide coverage ofpublic Afghan media (radio and television), anincreased number of hours of public broadcasting,and improved quality of programming. Atthis stage in its post-war development, stateownedmedia will be used to promote and conveyinformation on gender policies, publichealth and national security. Extensive reformshave been introduced within the educationstrategy that is designed to assist youth. Theseinclude expansion of the education system; rehabilitationprograms for young people whoseeducation may have been limited because ofthe security situation; and reforms to vocationaleducation to provide youth with marketableskills and better employment opportunities.Health and nutrition sector strategyBy all measures, the people of Afghanistan sufferfrom poor health. The country’s health indicatorsare near the bottom of internationalindices, and fare far worse, in terms of theirhealth, than any other country in the region.Life expectancy is low, infant, under-five andmaternal mortality is very high, and there is anextremely high prevalence of chronic malnutritionand widespread occurrence of micronutrientdeficiency diseases. Substantial improvementsin the health system and the healthstatus of the people of Afghanistan have beenachieved in recent years, but there are a numberof challenges and constraints that must beaddressed if continued progress is to be made,including: (i) inadequate financing for many ofthe key programs; (ii) reliance on externalsources of funding; (iii) inadequately trainedhealth workers; (iv) lack of qualified femalehealth workers in rural areas; (v) dispersedpopulation, geographical barriers and a lack oftransportation infrastructure; (vi) low levels ofutilization for certain health services, especiallypreventive services; (viii) variable levels of servicequality; (ix) insecurity in some provinces,making it difficult for program implementation,recruitment and retention of staff, expan-The ANDS: An Overview 11