Education plays a vital role in achieving the SDGs. In order to increase access to quality education, SDSN Afghanistan is considering a three-tier solution. Firstly, we will conduct a systematic study of higher education in Afghanistan with the aim of formulating recommendations for improvement. Secondly, we intend to increase access to higher education by providing quality affordable programs in our faculties. Thirdly, we will offer specialized educational programs on the SDGs.
a. Analysis and Improvement of Higher Education
To increase efficiency in higher education, SDSN Afghanistan will conduct an annual program review in order to align academic programs of the universities with the market demand. This will integrate knowledge on SDGs into the university curriculum, and promote innovations in teaching and learning methodologies. A practical step is the provision of training and capacity building to university lecturers in order to ensure sustainability within the higher education institutions. To enhance the capacity of university lecturers, we, in close collaboration with the member universities and their technical personnel, will mobilize resources and develop training programs on instruction methodologies, and provide opportunities to lecturers to continue their formal education locally and internationally.
Concerning the low level of technology integration in the learning system of the country, we will partner with leading universities of the country such as; AUAf, and Kardan University to inspire other educational institutions to adopt advanced methods like; learning management systems, and E-learning. Further to this, SDSN Afghanistan will support universities to establish digital Libraries. Our network will approach SDSN Networks across the globe to share their study materials with the world’s most deprived academia. It is noteworthy that Kateb University is already willing to invest in this idea.
We, with the right network developed by SDSN Afghanistan, will promote exchange programs in the forms of student, faculty and staff exchange with universities in the region and globally. We with the cooperation of SDSN global partners will facilitate national universities to organically expand their exchange program efforts, and help highly motivated individuals to bring home knowledge, experience and innovative ideas.
b. Access to Higher Education
Tens of thousands of students are left out of universities every year in Afghanistan. The reason is obvious: national universities do not have the capacity to admit them all. The university entrance exam leaves behind more than 50,000 students out of universities. Private universities in the country have the capacity for only 7,000 of them per year. In order to address this issue, we have prepared a practical plan. In this era of work SDSN Afghanistan will assist universities to create strong advocacy policies to increase the quantitative capacity of universities to attract more students. In addition we will promote other pathways to education including E-learning to be recognized with officially approved degree certificates. SDSN Afghanistan is also committed to promote the establishment of an academic council that will provide needs-based local and international scholarships to members of the community who are most in need.
Currently no university in the country is offering a degree in Sustainable Development. SDSN Afghanistan will promote the establishment of a formal degree in sustainable development studies for bachelors, masters and Ph.D. levels. The degrees would be interdisciplinary and customized versions focusing on problems of Afghanistan. We also promote the MDP (Master of Development Practice), an interdisciplinary graduate degree program that prepares students to better identify and address the challenges of sustainable development.
(See http://mdpglobal.org/global-mdp-program/)
Finally, as part of our efforts to educate Afghanistan on the SDGs, we will create executive education programs on A-SDGs targeted at government officials and other public and private sector contributors. For this, the SDG Academy learning materials will be customized based on Afghan national needs, language, and context.
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