FANOOS [Safe Light]: Teacher Training in Afghanistan

"FANOOS” (Safe Light) Teacher Training
in Laghman and Kabul Provinces
May 2011 - Aug 2013

In late March 2011, CW4WAfghan received approval for funding from CIDA in the amount of $500,000 for our CW4WAfghan teacher training project called: "Fanoos / Safe Light: Teacher Training in Laghman & Kabul provinces, Afghanistan". As part of this application process, CW4WAfghan contributes one-quarter of the project funds ($150,000) from our Breaking Bread fundraising initiative to qualify for this total project of $650,000, which will be implemented by our field staff and partners over the next two years. The training focuses on active learning methodologies and hands-on science instruction for an estimated 1,950 teacher trainees (50% female) and it is estimated to reach 468,000 Afghan secondary students annually, as additional beneficiaries of the project. This training builds upon the outcomes of the $650,000 Excel-erate Teacher Training project (see below), funded with CIDA support from May 2008 to September 2010.

Afghanistan has come a long way in improving the number of schools operating, teachers hired and children enrolled; however, the quality of the education sector remains poor and much more needs to be done to support children to succeed through school. The populations in the target districts of Laghman and Kabul provinces live in poverty and face a shortage of educational resources, local human capital and opportunities. There is high illiteracy among women in particular, high teacher-to-pupil ratio resulting in over-crowded classrooms, a teacher shortage and poor resource facilities (science labs, school libraries, access to textbooks, etc). Our Investments in public education through teacher training helps to improve the quality of education by training in-service teachers and expanding their access to educator resources, equipping schools with modest Science Lab Starter Kits and School Library Starter Kits and training teachers how to make the most of these tools.

Download updates on the progress of this project throughout 2011 and 2012 below.

EXCEL-ERATE: Teacher Training
in Kabul Province
May 2008-Sept 2010

To read about our first teacher training project from May 2008 to Sept 2010,  please click on the link below. Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, approved $500,000 for this two year teacher training project in Afghanistan under their Voluntary Sector Fund criteria. This project was managed in collaboration with our Kabul Office and an implementing Afghan partner organization. By the close of the project Sept 2010, a total of 1,542 in-service teachers have been trained, representing approximately 10% of all teachers in Kabul province, and approximately 1% of the country’s entire teacher population. Fifty-one percent of these trainees were female. CW4WAfghan has committed $150,000 of the Breaking Bread fundraising donations towards the training programme.

www.cw4wafghan.ca/Excel-erate