Monitoring trends in educational growth in Afghanistan

While access to schooling is crucial, it is widely recognised that if students are to realise the full benefits of education, then attending school must involve learning. In 2004, the Government of Afghanistan established the Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP). Through school grants, teacher training and institutional capacity building, EQUIP aims to increase equitable access, especially for girls, to quality basic education. As part of this program, ACER is working with the Ministry of Education to design and conduct the first ever sample-based national assessment of learning outcomes in Afghanistan. This study assesses Grade 6 students’ abilities in mathematics, reading and writing. It takes a ‘literacy’ approach to assessment, aiming to measure how well students can apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in contexts beyond the classroom