Learning by doing

Shunbul Girls’ High School serves 190 children enrolled from 13 villages in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. The primary economy, on which most families rely, is agriculture and livestock. Literacy rates are low, and many of the students’ parents, particularly mothers, did not complete their education.

Initial learning assessment showed students falling behind in many areas, including Literacy, Maths, Science, and Arts and Culture. Teachers identified high absenteeism as a critical problem, but why were children absent? To determine the root causes of student absenteeism, teachers interviewed the students as well as parents to hear their perspectives. Students said they felt lessons lacked relevance and were too theoretical with a lot of teacher-led instruction. Students also highlighted the lack of support at home, something parents agreed and noted their lack of confidence to support their children’s learning.

Learning by doing

The teachers recognised that they needed to develop and deliver new teaching approaches that would be more relevant and interactive for learners. Teachers undertook professional courses on participatory and child-centred pedagogy, supporting them to introduce new practices such as storytelling and roleplay to teach literacy/Dari; group work and problem-solving activities in Maths; while science became more hands on with experiments and outdoor learning. Beyond this, teachers began to explore local traditions, historical sites, and artistic expression through their subject areas. Peer-to-peer coaching and mentoring helped to share ideas and support each other while parental engagement workshops focused on developing awareness on how to support their children’s learning at home.

These new pedagogical practices were tested with a class of 24 children over several months. End of year observations showed changes in teacher classroom practice and an increase in student attendance by 8%. The learner assessments demonstrated significant learning gains with 39% improvement in Dari, 72% in Mathematics, and 82% in Science.

After implementing this solution, we’ve witnessed remarkable changes in our school. Teaching methods have evolved completely, and the teachers have become much more creative. The motivation to bring positive changes to the school has increased significantly. Both teachers and students are now creating new educational approaches and models using participatory approaches and affordable or low-cost/no-cost materials.

Ghulam Abas Haidari, Headteacher, Shunbul Girls’ High School

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