School in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, school (Maktab) is a common term. The formal system comprises preschool provision, six years of primary education, three years of lower secondary education and three years of upper secondary education. The de facto Ministry of Education (MoE) sets curricula, standards, examinations and certificates, while provincial education departments implement them and provide local oversight. State and private schools exist alongside religious education pathways such as a religious school (Madrasa), a religious education institution (Darul Hifaz) and a religious learning institution (Darul Uloom). These are not automatically equivalent to the state school-leaving certificate. Preschool education is currently not provided systematically by the state. Organizations establish some preschool classes under MoE supervision, but there is no uniform official curriculum or binding nationwide framework. Only about 1 percent of children aged 36 to 59 months attend a preschool programme. Among children aged 24 to 59 months, 29.3 percent are considered developmentally age-appropriate. The Education Law of 1387 guarantees education without discrimination, declares public preschool, primary and secondary education free of charge, and defines grades 1 to 9 as compulsory. It provides for school enrolment between the ages of 6 and 9 and prohibits physical and psychological punishment. After 2021, however, it is unclear how reliably these legal requirements are enforced nationwide. Parents or guardians support enrolment and regular attendance. Schools, provincial authorities and the MoE regulate the curriculum, examinations, attendance and protection requirements. For boys, grades 1 to 12 are generally accessible, but capacity constraints, teacher shortages, poverty, conflict, natural disasters and displacement limit actual attendance. For girls, grades 1 to 6 remain open in many places, while access to secondary education from grade 7 has in practice been prohibited since March 2022. As a result, about 2.2 million adolescent girls remain excluded. Approximately 397,000 more are added each school year. Field-verified data have shown no regular participation of girls in secondary education since 2022. In 2024, more than 2.13 million primary-school-age children were out of school, around 60 percent of them girls. Reported enrolment can differ from actual attendance because the education register may retain entries for up to three years. Community-based education (CBE) is a formally recognized part of the public system, but it is usually funded and implemented by organizations. A community-based school (CBS) typically provides grades 1 to 3 to children who have not previously attended school, while an accelerated learning centre (ALC) moves older out-of-school children up to about age 15 more quickly through grades 1 to 6. Transfer to a nearby public school depends on attendance, examinations, completion and local capacity and is not guaranteed. A learning-continuation plan provides for such transfers over two to three years. After a peak of about 30,000 CBE classes with around one million learners in 2023, there were approximately 21,000 classes at the end of 2024. New CBE classes are generally not authorized. Exceptions include emergencies and returnees, among others. In the first half of 2026, UNICEF programmes reached 55,937 vulnerable children through CBE and temporary learning programmes, 67 percent of them girls. Home-based learning or digital programmes can supplement instruction, but they are usually not accredited and do not replace a safe regular secondary school. Access to and the legal assessment of such programmes may vary locally. Depending on the majority language, instruction uses Dari or Pashto. Both languages are compulsory subjects. Subjects include mathematics, natural sciences, English, Islamic studies, history, geography, biology, physics, chemistry, computer science, art and physical education. A 2025 curriculum plan provides for more Islamic, scientific and practical teaching time and less language and social-science instruction. Islamic subjects account for nearly half of weekly lessons. Textbooks for grades 1 to 6 were revised in September 2025; revision for grades 7 to 9 was still under way. Local languages such as Uzbek, Turkmen, Pashayi, Nuristani, Balochi or Pamir languages may also be taught. Schools often organize instruction separately by gender or in separate shifts. Female teachers facilitate girls’ access but are scarce, especially in rural areas. Almost half of schools do not reliably have safe water, sanitation facilities or heating. Around 79 percent have no electricity, and more than 60 percent have no separate toilets for girls. Schools and community-based programmes also provide learning materials, water and sanitation assistance, school meals, child-protection referrals and psychosocial support. Formal rights exist for children with disabilities, but inclusive infrastructure and suitable provision are severely limited in many places. Public education remains free of charge under the law, but it often creates indirect costs for materials, clothing and transport. School attendance may also displace income from child labour or household duties. The beginning and end of the school year and examinations follow the calendar set by the MoE and may vary by climate zone. In cold regions, school year 1405 began on 26 March 2026. Primary education is completed after grade 9. Completion of grade 12 leads to further educational pathways outside this topic. The MoE issues the formal completion certificates.