Access to education for children in Herat and Ghor through CBE and public hub school support In 2022, the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan left nearly half the population (24.4 million people) in need of assistance, with women and children being overwhelmingly affected. The education system overall has been affected by the recent upheavals, which have included the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that closed schools for months in both 2020 and 2021. The security situation in the past has also meant that in some districts few actors have been able to access communities to establish CBEs leaving these children without education. Displaced children and cross border returnees are also more likely to not access education due to lack of civil documentation and instability of their home life. 

Given these reasons, the most marginalized children, which is currently approximately 7.9 million children, are at risk of never returning to school or never having access to school at all (HRP, 2022). This number has increased with the 2022 announcement blocking girls from attending secondary school.  Girls even before this announcement have faced barriers to accessing education. There are cultural and community attitudes around girls’ education and pressures that keep them out of school, particularly hub schools as they often lack female teachers or gender sensitive facilities. Since August 2021, formal schoolteachers have not been consistently paid, which has led to teacher absenteeism. This has contributed to student absenteeism and drop out. Public schools were also damaged during the conflict and have yet to be repaired (AESTF, 2022).  

In response to these needs, CRS is proposing to provide access to quality education to boys and girls in Herat and Ghor and will target approximately 3640 girls and boys students ( Dawlatyar-875 Feroz Koh- 1365 Guzara- 1400) through 104 CBE classes (Dawlatyar-25 Feroz Koh-39 Guzara-40), including 74 CBE (Dawlatyar-12Feroz Koh-32Guzara-30) and 30 (Dawlatyar-13Feroz Koh-7 Guzara-10) ALP classes.  CBE classes will be established according to the minimum standards outlined in the CBE policy. 

The above will contribute to SO2 (Protection risks are mitigated, while protection and human rights needs for people of all genders and diversities are monitored and addressed through integrated and inclusive humanitarian action) and SO3 (Vulnerable people of all gender and diversities are supported to build their resilience and live their lives in dignity) of the HRP. 

CRS will use the Community Based Education (CBE) approach and will establish CBE classes, which will support children to complete one full grade (CBE) or two full grades (ALP) over 12 months. '

To contribute to the objective of providing students with a quality education, CRS will train teachers on a range of topics, including student-centered learning, safeguarding and psychosocial support, ensuring increased teacher capacity to deliver quality, inclusive, and gender-sensitive primary education responsive to the psychosocial needs of girls and boys in Afghanistan. 

CRS will also target approximately 48 hub schools in the same districts as above (Guzara, Dawlatyar, Feroz Koh) as well as in Herat City and Injil. CRS will work with hub schools to increase both their physical and teaching capacity and anticipates that this will directly benefit 1475 children and 100 teachers. 

CRS will assess the hub schools and work with education stakeholders to address barriers to enrolment. This will likely include upgrades to the physical capacity of the schools, distribute of inputs to transitioned students and teacher trainings for hub schoolteachers.

CRS will coordinate with relevant education stakeholders throughout the implementation of this project, including the Provincial Education Department and District Education Department. CRS will also coordinate with other implementing partners, including World Vision in Ghor, to share lessons learned and avo