Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union NOKUT I Refugees Country Briefing Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit aims to promote the implementation of effective recognition procedures for refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation.
Afghanistan

Official name:   The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ethnic groups: Pashtun (42%); Tajik (27%); Hazara (9%); Uzbek (9%); This country briefing – especially developed to help with the evaluation of credentials of refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation – should give orientation on the education system in AFGHANISTAN in the light of recent political and economic developments in this country. It presents a systematised overview on its higher education system and links to the available information sources that are useful for the evaluation of qualifications of refugees coming from AFGHANISTAN, even in cases where candidates present insufficient or lack of documentation. Photo coverpage: Herat Castle in Afghanistan. Photo: Shutterstock Source: CIA World Factbook
Up to 1932, there were no higher education institutes in Afghanistan and people with higher education had completed their education abroad. It was not until 1946 that the first higher institution was established. Over the years the establishment of higher education institutions continued. During Soviet occupation between of 1979 – 1989, Afghanistan adapted the education system of the Soviet Union.  By 1996, there were some 14 higher institutions in Afghanistan. This process, however, was reversed when the Taliban seized power and the number of institutions decreased to seven. In addition, the rule of Taliban led to shortages in resources such as teachers, books, outdated syllabus etc. The rule of Taliban led to fewer students in general and girls in particular, as girls were denied educational opportunity. After the fall of the Taliban, efforts have been made to improve the situation in the country. The number of public and private institutions has increased. The number of students that are registered at primary, secondary and tertiary education has also increased. The current situation in the country remains unstable. Afghan nationals were the second biggest group of asylum seekers (after Syria) in many European countries in 2015-2016. Approaches to evaluation of the qualifications from Afghanistan can be different in different ENIC- NARIC countries depending on the mandate of the evaluation authorities. More information on assessment practices of documentation from Afghanistan can be obtained from the E-learning modules to be developed within the framework of the EU-funded project "Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit for recognition of higher education for refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation" by the ENIC-NARIC centres of France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. The current situation in the county remains unstable.
Master's Degree Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science 7 = Duration of education
Education system
Ministry of Education has the responsibility of general education and vocational education. General education comprises primary school, lower secondary school and higher secondary school. Education is compulsory for children aged 6-14. Primary and Secondary
Education
PRIMARY SCHOOL Grades 1 to 6 (starting age 6-8 and is compulsory) LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL Grades 7 to 9 (starting age 13-15 and is compulsory) HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL / UPPER SECONDARY Grades 9 to 12 (starting age 16-9) 12th grade Graduation Certificate /ンニックヴィックヴィック(shahadat nameye doreye sanavi) The certificate is issued in three languages: Pashtu, Dari and English Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MOLSAMD) is responsible for short-term courses of non-formal and informal TVET, and the Ministry of Education (MoE) is responsible for the formal TVET. Technical and Vocational training is provided by technical and vocational schools where students are taught skills needed to perform a certain job. Programs last for 2-5 years and comprise following fields of studies: . . . Agriculture Business Education Construction and Engineering Fine Arts Special and Inclusive Education Sectors . . The education will eventually lead to a Diploma (2-3 years) or Associate Degree (4-5 years) respectively.
Higher Education
Tertiary education is provided both by public and private higher education institutions. Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has the responsibility for the tertiary education. There are different types of higher education institutions in Afghanistan universities, polytechnics, institutes and higher teachers' colleges. Afghanistan has 25 public university and 140 private institutes (recognized by MoHE).
admission criteria to bachelor’s
DEGREES
Completion of 12th grade and passing the competitive Kankour exam – Kankour (national entrance exam).
ADMISSION CRITERIA TO MASTER’S
DEGREES
Completion of a bachelor's degree with passing grade of at least 65%. In addition, one also has to have completed a foreign language course as part of the bachelor's degree.
TYPES OF QUALIFICATIONS

Degrees in Veterinary Medicine: 5 years Degrees in Medicine: 7 years (include one year of pre-medical and one year of internship). Institutions tend to issue educational documents in English as well as in Dari and Pashtu. Minimum amount of credits for a 4-year bachelor's degree is 136 credits. Credits per semester do not surpass 21 credits. Bachelor's degree consists of the following:
Master’s Degrees There is a limited amount of master's degrees being offered in Afghanistan. Those who have the financial means complete their master's degrees abroad. Master's degrees have a nominal length of study of 2 years and include a thesis. Thesis is an independent research work of 100-150 pages. Graduation requirements for Master Degrees are an average passing grade of 65% for all subjects and defence of the thesis. Higher education institutions in Afghanistan do not offer Ph. D-programs. GRADING SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION A = 90–100% B = 80–89% C = 70–79% D = 55–69%
Certification /
Documentation
National format norms for the documentation: Degree certificates are usually issued in . English, sometimes in all three languages – English, Dari, Pashto . Degree certificates and transcripts issued on two separate A-4 horizontal sheets Degree certificates and transcripts contain logo . and name of the university Transcripts usually contain a picture of the . holder . Transcripts contain name of the holder and the . name of the his/her father Transcripts contain date of enrolment and date of graduation Transcripts should have two signatures (Chancellor and Dean of Faculty) .
Useful sources
and links
Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) http://www.mohe.gov.af/da UNESCO – World Data on Education: Afghanistan http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Islamic_ Republic_of_Afghanistan.pdf International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, UNEVOC https://unevoc.unesco.org/go.php Kabul Medical University http://www.kmu.edu.af/
Evaluation tips and
recommendations
Verifications of the credentials can be made in the verification database at the MoHE website http:// mohe.gov.af/en. The verification code, stated on the transcript, can track the newly completed education. Elder transcripts do not have such code and cannot be verified by the MoHE website. Furthermore, the verification code is only stated on the documents issued in Dari.
Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit is a finalised Erasmus+ supported project taking place between 2016 and 2018, with the aim to promote the implementation of effective recognition procedures for refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation.
Goal
Central to the project is the development of a Toolkit for Recognition of Refugees Qualifications. The follow up project entitled Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit 2 (REACT), taking place between 2018 and 2020, builds on the results achieved as part of the Toolkit project.
Main project activities
Development of five refugees country briefings Development of Toolkit for Recognition . of Refugees Qualifications Testing of the developed Toolkit . Development of e-learning modules .
Outcomes
The project addressed the need for the identification of common principles and best practice tools for the recognition of refugees' qualifications, with the development of a Toolkit for Recognition of Refugees' Qualifications. In addition to the development of the Toolkit, the project developed five refugee country briefings to help with the evaluation of credentials of refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee- like situation. The country briefings presents a systematised overview of the educational systems in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya and Syria. In the second-cycle REACT project, the overall goal is to enhance the mobility, employability and access to further studies for refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation – including those without official documentation of their educational background. The participating NARICs in the REACT project developed similar briefings on Iran, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
TIMELINE

Final dialogue seminar 2018 Publishing and reporting on results
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
This refugees country briefing is part of a collection of five briefings, developed within the Erasmus+ supported Toolkit project. Moreover, five additional briefings have recently been developed in the second-cycle Erasmus+ Toolkit 2 (REACT) project. For further information, please visit the websites of the projects: Websites: Toolkit: https://www.nokut.no/en/about-nokut/international- cooperation/erasmus-projects/refugees-and-recognition/ Toolkit 2 (REACT): https://www.nokut.no/en/about-nokut/ international-cooperation/erasmus-projects/react--refugees-and- recognition/ Email: project-react@nokut.no Drammensveien 288 Postboks 578,1327 Lysaker Telefon: 21 02 18 00 www.nokut.no This document was developed in the framework of the EU-funded project "Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit for recognition of higher education for refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation" by the ENIC-NARIC centres of France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. NOKUT（） nuffic @CIMEA The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use, which may be made of the information contained therein.