Educational providers: decision-making about where to send children to school
Meeting EFA: Afghanistan community schools
COPE: a case study of non-state education provision in Afghanistan
Authors:
D. Balwanz
Publisher:
Educational Quality Improvement Program, USAID, 2008
CARE Afghanistan launched its first small pilot education access programme in Khost province in 1994. The initiative has evolved into the Community Organized Primary Education (COPE) programme and now operates in nine provinces. This EQUIP2 Case Study examines the model and outcomes of the COPE programme as well as the institutional and cultural context of the areas in which COPE schools operate. Specifically, this case study examines the growth and impact of COPE schools in Afghanistan from 1998 to 2003.
Since 1998, the COPE programme has operated successfully within the context of Afghanistan’s changing legal, political, and security environment. The goal of the COPE programme is to reach underserved regions and populations with quality, community-managed education opportunities. CARE initially designed the COPE programme to operate independently, outside the Taliban government, although the national conditions often required agreements with local Taliban officials.
However, since the Afghan Ministry of Education has re-emerged as the dominant force in the education sector, CARE has shifted programme design to integrate COPE schools and students into the government-controlled public school system - a major component of the model’s success.
