Education and fragility in Afghanistan: a situational analysis

Aghanistan has been called "the quintessential fragile state". Education actors face formidable challenges. But change is possible. The education sector has witnessed enormous growth since the ousting of the Taliban from Kabul in 2001. The Ministry of Education is now in charge of an ambitious education sector plan and is moving towards technical self-reliance. Education is integral to a state-building project that has yet to bring peace and justice to Afghanistan. The Taliban continues to pose a grave security threat and the opium economy still flourishes. Foreign aid is distributed ineffectively, benefiting foreign military and corporations more than ordinary Afghans. Even the government admits the corrosive effect of corruption. This study investigates education delivery and looks at how aspects of education contribute to, or mitigate, fragility in Afghanistan. As part of an INEE research project on education in fragile contexts, this e-publication looks at drivers of fragility grouped under five headings: security, economy, governance, social, and the environment.