The Quality Primary Education to Southern Afghanistan (Kandahar) project is jointly funded by Canada, which funds educational activities in Kandahar province, and the Netherlands, which funds activities in Uruzgan province. The project came into being through an agreement with the Government of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education.

There are two components to this project. The first component aims to:

• Increase access to education for 4,000 out-of-school children with accelerated learning classes that will allow them to pass exams based on formal school curriculum.
• Enrol children who pass the exams into appropriate grades in formal schools.

The second component focuses on improving the quality of formal education by:

• Creating a learning environment where some 4,000 children, especially those returning to school, will be welcomed by teachers and receive quality education in eight community-based schools.
• Training teachers in disciplinary practices that are alternatives to corporal punishment.
• Improving or repairing school structures (e.g. water, sanitation, or buildings) based on need.
• Increasing child participation in student groups.

The Quality Primary Education project has achieved the following significant results to date:

• One hundred and thirty Accelerating Learning Classes have been established, providing more than 3,700 students with the opportunity to access the community-based education system. (Sixty percent of these students are girls).
• One hundred and thirty community-based school teachers were trained.

• Afghan Ministry of Education
• Education Signature Project