Afghanistan - Afghanistan: Vocational Education and Training

Education is Key

December 31, 2008 - After nearly a quarter century of conflict, Afghanistan was in a state of total destruction and the country was one of the least developed in the world. Afghanistan was essentially left out of the last 25 years of global development. When the Taliban was forced out of power in 2001, most of Afghan people lived in abject poverty, and virtually most of its infrastructure was destroyed. Since then, the reconstruction has been marked by significant progress. Afghanistan has made strides in most political, economic and social indicators. Economic growth has been high. Access to health care and school services have improved significantly during this period.

School enrollments have increased from about 1 million to nearly 6 million since 2002, with enrolments of girls increased to about 35% of the total. The government has focused on its educational infrastructure in particular, rebuilding infrastructure for basic schooling and its institutions of higher education. The World Bank has been closely working with the government in helping to rebuild general education system through projects such as the Education Quality Improvement Program and Strengthening Higher Education Program.

Afghanistan, however, is facing a different set of problem in its attempt to emerge from near-total collapse. The country is hampered by the absence of a well-educated and -trained workforce that it requires to continue growing. The government more recently recognized the need for further investment in skills development and is now working to build vocational education and training programs.

Vocational Education and Training

With the World Bank’s technical and financial assistance, Afghanistan is designing a project on vocational education and training (VET). Afghanistan’s emphasis on vocational education and training is largely driven by its recognition of three economic realities:

• First, youth unemployment and underemployment pose both developmental and security problems;
• Second, workers from neighboring countries are largely meeting the country’s demand for skilled labor, which reduces the employment prospects for Afghan citizens; and
• Finally, the country’s success in getting children back into school has produced large number of students with few skills for integration into the labor market.

Afghanistan Skills Development Project

The Afghanistan Skills Development Project is designed to increase the number of skilled Afghans and create a high-quality technical vocational education and training system that is equitable, market responsive, and cost-effective. More specifically, the project will develop a demand-driven vocational education and training system, and give training institutions autonomy to plan and customize their programs and establish partnerships with experienced national and international training providers.

“The project aims to transform existing educational institutions to correspond to the skills that individuals, businesses, and government in Afghanistan need,” said Venkatesh Sundararaman, World Bank Economist and Project Team Leader. “By focusing a major component of the project on market linkages with a rural focus, the project will help build economic linkages in rural areas, and support the most vulnerable groups – the most difficult issues in Afghanistan to address.”

The overall project cost of Afghanistan Skills Development Project is estimated to be US$35 million of which US$20 million grant assistance is provided by the World Bank Group's International Development Association (IDA) and the remaining funds will be provided by bilateral donors including United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Government of Norway.

Additional Resources

- Afghanistan: Achieving Results in a Difficult Environment
When the Taliban fell in 2001, Afghanistan had some of the worst health indicators in the world. Today, despite continuing instability, health outcomes are vastly improved. (Read More »)

- Schools, Roads, and Drinking Water for Afghan Villages
As more and more Afghan families return home after living the war years as refugees in neighboring countries, village populations across the country have swelled. (Read More »)

- Afghanistan: Development Data
A wide range of social and economic measures on Afghanistan, including links to the World Bank's most important online development databases. (Read More »)

- Afghanistan: Analysis and Research
Compilation of all the World Bank's publications on Afghanistan, with 'search' options and links to analysis and research on other South Asian countries. (Read More »)

- World Bank Program in Afghanistan
Launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in Afghanistan. (Read More »)

Resources For

Afghanistan: Vocational Education and Training

Education is Key

Vocational Education and Training

Afghanistan Skills Development Project

Additional Resources