Transforming Teachers and Teaching Practices in Afghanistan

1

Transforming Teachers and Teaching Practices in Afghanistan

Dr. Mir Afzal Tajik

Abstract

The Afghan education system has completely collapsed after more than two decades of war in the country. Schools were either bombed or turned into prisons; teachers and students either left the country or were forced to join the war-lords’ army; libraries were burned down and thus the entire education system was badly destroyed. Now that peace has come to Afghanistan, the revival of education system has also started. In order to transform the Afghan education system, the Government of Afghanistan has given significant priority to education which is crucial for national development. There are country-wide efforts for reconstruction of the education system which has seen the genesis of developing the infrastructure of schools, recruiting and developing professional teachers, and curriculum reform.

In this regard, several international organizations including the Aga KhanUniversity, Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) are assisting the Afghan government in reconstructing the education system through implementing programs for capacity building at individual and institutional levels. This paper discusses the collaborative efforts being made by the AKU-IED, the Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF,A), the Aga Khan Education Service Afghanistan (AKES,A), and the German Government to transform teachers and teaching practices through the introduction of non-traditional and innovative teaching methods in Afghan schools. The paper also analyzes the achievements made, the challenges faced, and the lessons learnt through these collaborative efforts.

Transforming Teachers and Teaching Practices in Afghanistan

Introduction

The Aga KhanUniversity - Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) aims to improve the quality of education through capacity building in less developed countries through research, educational programmes, partnerships, policy initiatives,with a commitment towards a wider social development. Since its inception in 1993, AKU-IED has, within a relatively short time, successfully established educational initiatives which have been recognized as credible and significant and form the basis for a coherent and effective approach to school improvement. Through its initiatives, AKU-IED collaborates witheducational institutions in public and private sectorsfor social sector development in Pakistan as well as in other developing countries.

As part of its international commitment for improving education in developing countries, AKU-IED, through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), has taken a number of initiatives to contribute to the institutional capacity building efforts in Afghanistan. The present Afghan education system lacks qualified teachers, dynamic leadership, effective curriculum and adequate resources in schools. Majority of Afghan teachers and school heads still lack adequate academic and professional qualifications and capacity to initiate positive reforms in their schools. In order to rebuild its education system, the Afghan government has given significant priority to education. After more than two decades of war and disturbance in Afghanistan, the country is now experiencing a new phase of development. There are country-wide efforts for reconstruction of the education system which has seen the genesis of developing the infrastructure of schools; however, much has yet to be done with teachers and others for improving the quality of education. Therefore, there is need to develop skills and expertise of teachers and head teachers to develop them as effective change agents in their schools.

In this regard, several international organizations including AKU-IED have engaged in capacity building programmes in Afghanistan in order to develop a cadre of effective teachers, dynamic school leaders and mentors who could in turn initiate and lead changes in their respective schools. Since AKU-IED does not have a permanent physical presence in Afghanistan, it therefore operates through a close collaboration with Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF, A), Aga Khan Education Service Afghanistan (AKES,A), and the German government through its Embassy in Kabul.

AKU-IED and AKF,A jointly work to develop the capacity of the Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs) in Pull-e-Khumri and Shughnan, Afghanistan through engaging the TTCs’ faculty in innovative teacher education programmes. AKU-IED and AKES,A collaboratively work on identifying and enrolling Afghan candidates in the two-year masters programme offered at AKU-IED. The German Government and AKU-IED work together to build the capacity of German-sponsored schools in Afghanistan. (two each in Faizabad, Herat, Kabul, Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif). The German Government, through its Embassy in Kabul, has engaged in improving the physical facilities and providing instructional materials in these schools. AKU-IED faculty and German teacher educators have engaged in developing a cadre of professional mentors, school leaders, and teachers who could play the role of change agents in these schools and thus develop school improvement models which are relevant and responsive to the unique needs and situations of schools in Afghanistan. Through these partners, AKU-IED also assists the Ministry of Education (MoE) Afghanistanin developing the capacity of inspectors and education officers.

Programmatic Activities

In collaboration with these partners, AKU-IED has so far implemented the following programmes for Afghan teachers, teacher educators and school leaders.

1. M.Ed. Programme

TwoAfghan students (both male), funded by AKDN,have recently graduated from the M.Ed. programme (Class of 2006). Two other Afghan students weregiven provisional admission to the M.Ed. programme (Class of 2007) but they could not continue in the programme due to their poor performance in the English Language Test despite being given pre-course coaching in English language. One male candidate has qualified for a provisional admission in M.Ed. Class of 2008. The aim of M.Ed. programme is to develop a cadre of effective teachers, teacher educators, and educational leaders equipped with a strong knowledge base, pedagogical and research skills, and commitment towards change. The graduates are expected to demonstrate a broader understanding of significant issues in education and ability to analyze issues critically, and commitment towards reflective practice, life-long learning and school improvement. The philosophical underpinnings of the M.Ed. programme rest on “critical pedagogic knowledge construction, departing from the notion of knowledge as a frozen body of truths” (Ashraf, Khaki, Shamatov, Tajik, & Vazir, 2003; p. 3). Conceptually, the programme does not specifically follow any one particular ideology of teacher education; rather it draws from a number of perspectives and approaches that have proved effective in different parts of the world (Bacchus, 2001).

2. Certificate Programme

Beginning from January 2004, AKU-IED in collaboration with AKF, A has so far conducted 3 Certificate in Education (CE): Primary Education programmes. A total of 83 (23% female & 77% male) professionals have graduated from these programmes. These graduates included faculty of TTC Pull-e-Khumri and Shughnan, Regional Educational Officers, Representatives from the MoE, school principals and teachers. Another CE programme is in progress which is attended by 60 teachers and teacher educators from 10 German-sponsored schools. This particular CE programme is implemented through a series of five workshops of two weeks each and each workshop is followed by fieldwork in schools. Theseprogrammesweredesigned to develop effective teachers and mentors equipped with enhanced knowledge of subject matter, pedagogy, and inquiry within the domain of school improvement.

3. Short-Term Orientation Courses

Two orientation courses of 2 weeks each have been conducted for the TTC faculty in Pull-e-Khumri and Shughnan. About 50 (13% female & 87% male) teachers and teacher educators participated in these orientation courses. The purpose of these orientation courses were to prepare the participants for the certificate programmes by familiarizing them with the basic notions and approaches to teaching and learning.

4. Alternate Exposure Programmes

Two alternate exposure programmes have been arranged for the German-sponsored school principals and teachers. In the first programme, seven Afghan principals visited AKU-IED for one week during which they visited a number of successful schools and educational institutions in Karachi. They were also engaged in interactive sessions on effective leadership and school improvement processes. The purpose of this alternate exposure programme was to facilitate the visiting principals to a) observe and reflect on contextually relevant leadership and management practices in schools, b) understand the various dynamics of school principals’ roles and responsibilities and, c) learn more about their own role in carrying out school improvement initiatives in their schools.

In the second programme, a group of 35 teachers (16 female & 19 male) visited AKU-IED for two weeks. These teachers also visited a number of successful schools, educational institutions, and historical places in Karachi. In addition, they attended interactive sessions conducted by senior faculty at AKU-IED. The purpose of this programme was to expose the visiting teachers to a variety of innovative programme and approaches to teaching and learning, teacher development, and school improvement in Karachi. They analyzed the various practices which they observed in schools in order to see the applicability of these practices and ideas in their own schools.

5. Dialogues / Meetings

Since 2003 a number of visits of AKDN and Afghan MoE officials to AKU-IED have taken place. Similarly, AKU-IED senior management and faculty have also visited Kabul and met with the representatives of AKDN and German Embassy and Officials of Ministry of Education, Kabul. More recently, a three-member team from the Save the Children (USA) Afghanistan visited AKU-IED to discuss the possibility of collaborative programme on ECED and primary teacher education in Afghanistan. The purpose of these dialogues is to discuss policy matters and develop partnerships for effective implementations of educational programmes in Afghanistan. Table 1 summarizes the programmes offered by AKU-IED for Afghan teachers, school heads and teacher educators.

Table 1: Summary of Programmes

* School Principals -- ** teachers

Content of the Programmes

The contents and instructional strategies for these programmes were carefully chosen keeping in view their relevance, adequacy and appropriateness for the diverse groups of participants attending the programmes. In order to develop the content of these variousprogrammes, a needs-analysis was carried out by using self-administered questionnaire. The outcome of thisneeds assessment was further supplemented by the previous experiences of working with Afghan teachers by AKU-IED faculty, German consultants, and the AKF,A education mangers and educators. General observations of the overall realities of education in general and teacher education in particular in Afghanistan also provided relevant data to choose the content for these programmes. Thus,it helped in identifying teachers’ needs, interests, and priorities for improving their content and pedagogical knowledgebase and understanding of teaching and learning process. Keeping in view the teachers’ existing content and pedagogical content knowledge and classroom practices, the CE and short-term courses were designedwith a view that the course contents should address not only the teachers’ content and pedagogical needs and interests but also match with the socio-cultural values and contextual realities in schools in Afghanistan.

Instructional Strategies of the Programmes

Theseprogrammes drew upon the basic elements of the ‘constructivist’ theory of learning and engaged the participants in interactive discourse, negotiations, and dialogue in order to construct a kind of ‘learning community’ environment in the classroom (Retallick, 1999; Schussler, 2003). This framework for learning allowed the participants not only to take full responsibility and accountability for their individual learning but also to care for others and collaborate for communal success. The course facilitators acted as co-learners and the learning process was stimulated through inquiry and reflective discussions. Some of the key strategies and processes included:

• Short presentations, workshops, seminars, and input by the facilitators;
• Interactive discussions by the course participants and the facilitators;
• Cooperative pair / group work followed by group presentations by the participants; and
• Writing and sharing reflections by the participants.

A wide range of activities and teaching techniques were used in these courses including brainstorming, role plays, discussions and debates, jigsaw readings, group investigations and presentations, and think-pair-share. The participants were encouraged to reflect on these strategies as modelled by the facilitators for use in their own classrooms. These teaching strategies aimed at demonstrating ways in which the participants can make their lessons more activity based, interactive and enjoyable for their students.

Assessment of Participants

Ongoing assessment of the participants was done in each course.This included classroom observations, reflective journals, micro-teaching and designated group tasks. The participants’ performance in these tasks helped determine their progress in the courses. In addition, the participants were also observed for the quality of their participation in class activities as well as their regularity and punctuality in attending the daily sessions.

Achievements of the Programmes

The impact of these programmes has been gauged through a number of ways including the individual course evaluation, end of course reports, and informal observations which reveal that these programmes have achieved the quality standards set by AKU and have therefore made a positive impact on the beneficiaries. However, a more in-depth and systematic evaluation of AKU-IED’s all its initiatives for capacity building in Afghanistan, Syria, and Tajikistan will take place in November—December 2006. This internal evaluation will explore how and to what extent these initiatives / programmes have contributed to the individual and institutional capacity building in these countries.

Several positive changes have occurred in the participants’ attitudes, knowledge base, and practices during these programmes. The evidence was sought from a number of ways including: written and verbal reflections shared by the participants; formal and informal interactions with and observations of the participants by the programmes’ facilitators; and post-course observations made in the participants’ schools by the AKF, A. and German teacher educators.

Positive Change in the Participants’ Attitude

These programmes have benefited both the participants and the facilitators in many ways. The diverse group of course participants, AKU-IED facilitators, and the AKF and German teacher educators with a diversity of backgrounds shared a common eagerness and deep interest in learning about alternative approaches to teaching and learning. From the structured classroom sessions to the unstructured and informal conversations held in these courses, the participants and facilitators learned not only about the content and pedagogical content areas taught in the courses but also about each other’s educational and cultural backgrounds, personal and professional experiences, and aspiration and vision as teachers and teacher educators. Through their verbal and written reflections, the participants in each course expressed their experiences of the course as being innovative, and relevant to their school contexts. Their active participation in the classroom discussions, punctuality, desire and enthusiasm for more reading and reference materials, and their diligent efforts to relate the newly gained ideas to their school contexts were some of the evidences of the positive changes in the participants’ attitude towards their profession.

Most of the participants admitted that, prior to joining AKU-IED’s programmes, they had inherited a traditional approach to teaching and learning. As teachers, they worked in isolation and often had to compete with each other. They perceived themselves as the only source of knowledge and their students as the mere recipient of that knowledge. They therefore tended to maintain a distance between a teacher and the student (Shamatov, 1998). However, they reconceptualized this sort of an attitude once they engaged in the ‘learner-centred’ approach to teaching and learning introduced to them during these programmes. Most of the participantsentered the programmes with a very pessimistic view of educational reform in general and school improvement in particular in Afghanistan. Nearly three decades of war in the country had not only destroyed the education system and schools across the country but had also developed in these teachers a greater level of despondency and despair. Therefore these teachers had set out more to complain about the deteriorating situations in their schools than to see the new rays of hope for rebuilding their schools on much stronger foundations. As they engaged in the programmes, they gradually began to think positively and build their morale because the daily sessions during these programmes not only helped them improve their content knowledge and pedagogical and leadership skills but also inspired them to act as change agents in their respective regions. As a result, there was a shift in the participants’ thinking and attitude towards their profession; they moved away from apessimistic, negative, and wait-and-see state of mind to a more optimistic, positive and proactive mind-set whereby showing greater level of enthusiasm to bring about change in their schools.