Comparing the Education System in the United States and Afghanistan - Research Paper Example

Comparing the Education System in the United States and Afghanistan Introduction The provision of education in the US is a function of the public sector with financing and coordination from the various levels of government. Public schooling is provided free of charge and compulsory until the age of eighteen. Education is segmented into elementary, middle and high school. After high school education in the US normally proceeds to university and college which is typically for four years (Wadhwa, 2011). Education in Afghanistan on the other hand incorporates the system of elementary, primary and high school education. After high school education, Afghan students join an institution of higher learning most of which are under the Higher Education Ministry (Gross, 2008). Since very early times Afghanistan has had an organized education system but since the Taliban took power, education has changed in Afghanistan. Education in Afghanistan has also been affected and influenced by the 2002 ouster of the Taliban. Access to Education Before the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan by the United States, access to education was very low in Afghanistan and it was mainly focused on religious education. Women and girls were completely denied an education by the Taliban government and illiteracy levels were very high among women. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, there have been great strides made in improving education in Afghanistan. Recent estimates put the number of learners at five point four million with girls comprising thirty five percent (Baker, 2008). Afghanistan currently boasts of an enrolment rate that is even higher than before the Taliban bans on secular education. Access to education is now provided to all Afghanis free of charge. The right to education is now enshrined in the Afghanistan up to a high school level and is free of charge. In the US, education is also a right that is enshrined in the constitution. Contrary to the Afghanistan situation the United States has always had universal access for everyone of school going age in public schools. America education system is compulsory for all learners below the age of eighteen. The US literacy rate stands at 99% with this figure being roughly equal for both men and women (Wadhwa, 2011). The United States just like Afghanistan employs the k12 system with elementary, primary and high school being compulsory and higher education being optional and privately funded and controlled. Approved home schooling programs are also allowed. Schooling in Afghanistan Since 2001 Since the toppling of the Taliban regime in 2001 and the setting up of the Karzai government a lot of changes have taken place with regard to education in Afghanistan. The schooling system is however facing many challenges in its quest for providing education to all Afghanis. The system is plagued by an influx of students who number approximately six million yet there are not enough teachers to teach. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the teachers available to teach are not sufficiently qualified. The ministry of education is also grappling with low standards since there is no standard curriculum which has been adopted officially by all the schools (Baker, 2008). There is a critical shortage of education infrastructure such as textbooks, and buildings in many parts of the country since most of the infrastructure was destroyed by the Taliban. One of the most pressing of concerns of the education ministry in Afghanistan is regarding security. The Taliban have been using a campaign of terror against government run education through bombing of schools particularly girl schools. The Taliban also threaten teachers and disrupt the distribution of learning materials all over the country. Funding of Education Education in Afghanistan is mainly funded by donors since the government has a critically underfunded budget. Institutions such as UNICEF and UNESCO have been in the forefront in the provision of funding and even material support towards education in Afghanistan. The World Bank and USAID are also major contributors to funding education in Afghanistan granting seventy five million dollars in 2010 (Gross, 2008). Donor programs bring up issues in disbursement since they are largely uncoordinated and depend upon goodwill. The Afghanistan government has recently come up with an ambitious project to fund education from its budget but it is doubtful whether it can be achieved. Education in the United States for K-12 is fully funded by the government until the age of eighteen. The funding of education is divided among the various levels of government such as the federal, state and municipalities. Funding for higher education is provided through loans which learners apply and repay at subsidized rates (Hume, 2011). Quality of Education The Afghanistan education system is plagued by very many problems which have had an adverse effect on quality. The Afghanistan education system has few and underpaid teachers which results to low morale among teachers. Insufficient infrastructure and a severe shortage of funding is also a major factor in the low quality of Afghanistan education. The United States system on the other hand boasts of high quality standards since it is not dogged by many problems facing the Afghanistan system. American education is of high quality though in recent times calls have been made to make the system more efficient since the US education system has fallen behind in rankings as compared to other first world countries (Hume, 2011). Public Schools and Private Schools Public schools in Afghanistan are funded and controlled fully by the government through the ministry of education. Public schools have however been condemned for low standards due to many problems bedeviling them. Typical school lessons in Afghanistan are typified by high numbers of learners per class that are highly skewed with more boys than girls. The school is in many instances held in informal buildings such as tents provided by donors. Private schools are mainly offered by communities or by donor agencies. The community based schools are not much different from the government run schools since they also suffer from under funding. Donor funded schools on the other hand offer the best education with the typical classroom not having more than thirty five learners per class (Baker, 2008). The lessons are better since they have more qualified teachers than their counterparts in public or community schools. All lessons are conducted in the local languages in both private and public schools. American public schools are funded by the governmental every aspect of operation. The average class is composed of thirty five learners with a teacher for every different subject. The typical lesson is conducted on the basis of making learners attain understanding of concepts rather than high stakes learning. Private schools also offer curriculum that is offered by the public schools though they have smaller classrooms. A typical lesson in a private school would follow the same guidelines as those of the public school and the difference is only in the number of learners per class which enables the teachers pay more attention to learners (Hume, 2011). Conclusion The United States education system is definitely better than the Afghanistan education system. The US education system is better because of sufficient funding provided in support of education by the governments. The Afghanistan education system needs more funding if it is to improve its standards by tackling the myriad of problems afflicting it. More effort at finding innovative solutions which would satisfy all Afghanistanis should be adopted if quality education for all is to be achieved in Afghanistan. In this regard the government and donors ought to be more involved and collaborate in order to achieve quality equitable education in Afghanistan. References Baker, A. (2008). Afghanistan's Girl Gap. Time Magazine, 2, 24-26. Gross, N. (2008). Restoring the Rights of Afghan Women. Social Education, 66, 1-5. Hume, S. (2011). The American Education System. International Student Guide, 5, 12-17. Wadhwa, V. (2011). U.S. Schools Are Still Ahead—Way Ahead. Bloomberg Businessweek, 1, 56-58. Read More