Community Based Schools

In villages throughout Afghanistan significant numbers of children and young people have been denied access to basic education due both to the past restrictions imposed by the Taliban and now to the geographic isolation of many communities. Government schools are not accessible to thousands of children.

WADAN's community based non-formal schools are found in communities in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces that have demonstrated a need and expressed the desire to provide primary education in their villages. Teachers are hired from their communities and receive training from WADAN's team of education specialists. Both men and women teach in the non-formal school settings. Usually classes are divided by gender, but in locations where no women teachers are available, male teachers are accepted to work with girls. Some schools are co-educational.

In addition to academic subjects taught in an accelerated curriculum, two years of class work completed in one, students are also taught about the value of attendance, punctuality and personal hygiene.

Since the end of our Community Empowerment and Reintegration Project of 2003 and 2004, around 107 community based non-formal schools have been established and around 3,500 students are now registered in these community based schools.

This project is completed.