Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Afghanistan, the 2008 Education Law makes intermediate (basic) education compulsory and provides a broad range of public education services free of charge, including preschool, secondary, technical-professional, vocational, artistic, formal Islamic education, higher education (grades 13 and 14), teacher training, literacy programmes, and basic practical education.
Responsibility for delivering these services is shared between ministries: the Ministry of Higher Education oversees grades 13 and 14, while the Ministry of Education manages preschool through grade 14, including TVET and teacher training. Central-level leadership is provided by the Minister of Education, with national programmes coordinated by a Deputy Minister across various departments. At the sub-national level, Provincial Education Directorates and District Education Offices implement programmes and report to both the central ministry and local governors, while school and education centre heads manage day-to-day operations and are accountable to District Education Offices and local School Shuras.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
No information has been found.
2. Education resources to schools
The development budget for the 2017-2021 National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) III was allocated across three core components: Quality & Relevance, Equitable Access, and Efficient & Transparent Management. Equitable Access focuses on reducing disparities in educational opportunities through school construction and targeted inclusion initiatives, particularly in underserved and remote areas.
Educational resources for schools rely heavily on international humanitarian funding and support from NGOs and UN agencies. For example, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) committed grants to enhance education over a multi-year period. A portion, managed by UNICEF, provides schools with textbooks, teacher guides, and other materials, while also offering training for teachers and headmasters in subjects such as mathematics, reading, and classroom management. Additional funding, administered by Save the Children, supports access in remote communities through community-based programmes, including upgrading school infrastructure, rehabilitating water and sanitation facilities, equipping classrooms, and training young women as primary school teachers to promote safe and inclusive learning environments.
3. Education resources to students and families
No information has been found.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
No information has been found.
5. School meal programmes
All school feeding initiatives in Afghanistan are designed, implemented, and financed by international organisations, primarily the World Food Programme (WFP), with significant support from external donors such as the European Union (EU). In 2022, WFP provided school snacks to primary school children, and a targeted group of girls received take-home rations. In May 2024, the EU allocated additional funding to expand WFP’s school feeding programme, supporting fortified snacks in over 10,000 schools across eight provinces and providing take-home rations to girls in grades 4–6, as well as to boys in areas with very low male enrolment. This followed an earlier EU contribution for 2022–2023.
