Education Reform, Digital Modernization, and Human Capital Development
Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 Academic Year in Afghanistan
Keypoints:
- Education & future: Schools as foundation of national development
- Infrastructure & access: Schools, teachers, books, digital expansion
- Quality reform: Focus on modern skills and improved learning outcomes
- Teacher development: Training, qualification upgrades, better conditions
- Digital education: Internet, computer labs, tech-based learning
- School safety & discipline: No violence or intimidation in schools
- Governance & transparency: Anti-corruption and access to information
- National identity: Education linked to unity and independence
- Social inclusion: Role of families, media, and civil society
- Global cooperation: International academic partnerships
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
My fellow colleagues, esteemed teachers of our country, members of the educational family, very dear students, respected members of the cabinet, our highly honored guests, Dr. Choudhury—the representative of the World Bank, the respected Ambassador of Japan, all foreign guests, the honorable Attorney General, Mr. Arghandiwal, Mr. Mohammad Khan, Mr. Muslimyar, and the First Lady of our country: First of all, I offer you the greeting of the leader of humanity, peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah!
My absolute finest moments as president are when school children come to the Arg (Presidential Palace) or when I travel to the provinces and am welcomed at the airports by these beautiful children of ours. Why? Because they force all of us who are currently in charge of running this country to confront a foundational question: 10, 20, and 30 years from today, with what capacity, national commitment, and strategic vision will these future leaders of Afghanistan govern this magnificent nation?
In their faces, I see boundless hope, and in their actions, I see profound self-confidence. The self-confidence of our daughters, in particular, is a source of immense pride for this entire nation. I also extend a warm welcome to the esteemed scholars of Al-Azhar University who are collaborating with us: Ahlan wa sahlan (Welcome).
From this perspective, today is a day of profound pride for me to congratulate all our citizens, the staff of the ministry of education, the students, and the mothers and fathers of these learners on the start of the new academic year—especially those nearly one million children who are entering school for the very first time and beginning a blessed new phase of their lives.
Mr. Minister of Education and all dear colleagues, it is my sincere hope that this first day creates a deep, enduring bond among our one million dear new students, so they view school as a source of pride and national unity for Afghanistan, rather than returning home and saying, "God forbid, I don't want to go to school."
I wish to open my remarks by highlighting the major initiatives that have been completed in the education sector, as well as those currently underway.
School Infrastructure Expansion and Coordination Reform
My dear compatriots!
Last year, I spoke about constructing buildings for 6,000 schools. In this massive program, which is unprecedented in the history of Afghan education in terms of its sheer scale, we faced a number of coordination challenges. However, thank God, these issues have been largely resolved, and I can now share with you, my dear compatriots, that the construction of 1,200 schools is actively moving forward. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the respected Minister of Rural Development for launching—or preparing to launch this week—the construction of 1,700 schools, and I thank the Minister of Education and our other colleagues. Congratulations to all the parents.
In total, funding has been explicitly secured and allocated for the construction of 2,700 schools this year. I express my gratitude to Dr. Choudhury and his colleagues at the World Bank, the esteemed Embassy of Japan, and our other partners.
Consequently, 2,700 school buildings will be completed during the current year, and we will secure the necessary resources for the remaining schools moving forward. Clearly, securing the budget and logistics to build 6,000 schools is no simple task, but we can be grateful that we took foundational steps toward this objective in the year 1397, and we have now reached the stage of its full realization.
To completely eliminate any future coordination friction, the authority to designate school locations will henceforth be delegated to the Ministry of Rural Development in close consultation with the provinces. My explicit directive to all provinces is to prioritize the allocation of land. Any land disputes put the future of our children at risk. I have instructed the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) and the Administrative Office of the President to rigorously follow up on this matter.
Teacher Recruitment and Academic Upgrading Programs
Another wonderful piece of news for the education sector is that the path has been cleared to hire thousands of new teachers. Through the exams held by the Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission, 11,000 candidates have passed. Their official appointments as teachers will begin this week, and the administrative process will be finalized as rapidly as possible. I congratulate all of these incoming instructors and the entire educational family.
I have additional excellent news regarding capacity building within our education system. As a result of close cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education—and I thank you, Mr. Khwaja Omari, for your partnership—and the Ministry of Education, every single teacher in Afghanistan will hold a higher education degree within the next five years. Over this period, approximately 100,000 teachers who currently hold 14th-grade diplomas will earn their bachelor’s degrees while continuing their service. Furthermore, roughly 57,000 teachers who possess only high school diplomas (12th grade) will upgrade their qualifications to at least a 14th-grade level during their tenure. The first phase of this five-year program has officially launched, and thousands of teachers will benefit from it this year.
Digital Integration, Fiber Optic Network, and IT Laboratories
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, in partnership with the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA), has engineered a structured plan to equip our schools with computer laboratories and connect them to the internet. This initiative is currently being rolled out across three distinct phases; the first phase was executed in 1397, while the second and third phases are being implemented throughout the current year.
During the initial phase, 115 schools across 9 provinces were connected to the national fiber optic network. Among these, 31 schools have been fully equipped with computer labs and dedicated internet bandwidth.
In the remaining two phases scheduled for this year, 1,290 schools will be integrated into the fiber optic network, which will naturally pave the way for setting up computer laboratories. One thousand computer labs are being provided to our schools courtesy of assistance from our friendly neighbor, India. However, my explicit directive to the Ministry of Communications and ATRA is to connect every single school across Afghanistan to the internet via fiber optics or satellite systems as fast as humanly possible. Our education system cannot remain stuck two centuries in the past; digital connectivity is vital and mandatory, and this must be your absolute operational priority for the year 1398.
Textbook Production and Strengthening Domestic Industry
Another major milestone in the education sector is that textbooks will be made completely available to all school students this year, God willing. Already, 12.2 million volumes have been printed, and an additional 37 million books are currently moving through the procurement pipeline, which will be finalized shortly so that printing can commence. This year, for the first time in our history, we will succeed in delivering a complete set of textbooks to every single student across all schools in the country—a milestone I celebrate with each student.
Furthermore, unlike in previous years, these books are being printed with exceptional quality right here within Afghanistan by domestic printing presses. This policy acts as a direct catalyst for the development of our domestic printing industry, which in turn directly elevates the advancement of science, education, and national literacy. I thank the private sector of Afghanistan for investing heavily in modern printing presses, and I hope they fulfill their commitments to our dear students to the highest standard.
Curriculum Modernization, Islamic Mysticism, and Civic Virtue
To Mr. Kaminzada and others in the audience! [Laughter] Comprehensive work is currently underway on the educational curriculum. The primary objectives are to improve book quality, reduce the sheer number of required textbooks, institute a competency-based learning model, and align our education with the demands of the 21st century.
Crucially, within this framework, the bond between the school and the mosque must be deeply reinforced. Our education system requires the profound guidance and support of our religious scholars across numerous disciplines, ranging from the correct recitation of the Quran (Tajweed) to the foundational curriculum of our Islamic seminaries (Madrasas). Fortunately, within the Ministry of Haj and Religious Affairs, we have established a new deputy ministry specifically dedicated to mystical and spiritual affairs. Islamic mysticism (Irfan), which serves as a massive treasury of moral virtues and human excellence preserved for centuries within our literature and culture, has an immense amount to contribute toward enriching our school curriculum.
Our culture of mutual acceptance flows directly from this rich mystical heritage. It is imperative that all our students thoroughly internalize these foundational moral concepts within the context of the core values defined for this nation—the sacred framework of Islam. Faith is an inseparable component of our patriotism, and loving one's homeland is a binding religious duty. For this very reason, we have a clear necessity to understand our past. While a figure like Rumi (Maulana) commands vast readerships in the English-speaking world, we ourselves have yet to truly discover him. We recognize his name, but we do not grasp his profound philosophies. It is vital that we thoroughly understand the foundational philosophies of our greatest intellectual and cultural figures.
Enhancing Institutional Symbiosis and Eradicating Violence in Schools
The collaboration between the Deputy Ministry of Mystical Affairs and the Ministry of Education will further enrich our educational textbooks and deeply reinforce the connection between the school and the mosque.
At this juncture, I must address another critical issue: the problem of violence within our schools. Senior Deputy Minister of Interior for Security, Mr. Khoshal Sadat, I thank you, and we continually honor and praise the enduring sacrifices of all our security and defense forces. However, we must confront an issue that has now escalated into a fundamental matter of national security. I must state with absolute clarity that violence against either students or teachers within our schools will not be tolerated. Parents must feel that their children are completely secure and safe when they are at school. We have planned concrete measures to fundamentally transform this environment during the current year. The mistreatment of students, or the intimidation of teachers and principals to extract unearned grades, must end within our schools. Anyone who threatens our teachers, our respected principals, or any member of the educational family is directly threatening me, and that is entirely unacceptable to me!
Public-Private Partnerships, Civic Collaboration, and Educational Quality
Distinguished audience! Building schools, providing textbooks, increasing the number of teachers, and clearing paths for their higher education are all designed to elevate the quality of our education system. The objective of high-quality education is to ensure our schools train the necessary human capital required to meet the challenges and needs of society in the 21st century. Quality cannot be achieved through materials and equipment alone; it demands our collective will. Fortunately, we possess a number of schools offering excellent educational quality, and Afghan civil society has taken major strides in this sector. However, in most instances, the current situation is far from ideal. The pace of collaboration between civil society and the Ministry of Education, in particular, must be accelerated. Mr. Minister, progress across the various focal points we established remains slow. We must actively incorporate a culture of mutual acceptance, civic cooperation, and the role of civil society and the private sector, which acts as an indispensable counterpart to the public sector. A complete consensus must be forged here, just as we must establish seamless cooperation between public schools and Islamic seminaries (Madrasas).
The question we must answer is: what mechanisms should we utilize to improve the quality of our schools? What innovations have our successful schools implemented? Furthermore, what roles can everyone—from families and the media to various segments of society—play to elevate the quality of education?
We must find definitive answers to these questions: what skills will today's child possess 18 years from now? How should this child be educated so that they can remain useful to themselves and their society, and become genuine specialists in an era of complex, 21st-century technology?
To drive this, I hereby announce the creation of ten national awards for the finest public and private schools. The selection of the best teacher and the best school will become a competitive, transparent process so that during this centennial year of our independence, we can truly celebrate the "Decade of Education" that you have proposed.
Historical Identity, Geopolitics, and Regional Integration
For thousands of years, Afghanistan has been situated at the crossroads of civilizations. This land has served as the cradle for the growth of cultures and a space for the free exchange of ideas. We must introduce our students to their true historical identity and ask them: do you want a defensive identity, or a well-connected, relational identity? If we isolate ourselves and sever our connections with the surrounding world—in total contradiction to our past history—we will be blocking our own growth and prosperity with our own hands. Throughout its golden history, this country has been a land of connections, and this nation utilized the geographical location of its homeland exceptionally well. As both history and geography dictate, our future is bound to our neighbors. Consequently, it is vital that our academic centers study and understand our neighbors, our region, and our international partners, allowing us to fully comprehend our differences and our shared commonalities.
Is it not a matter of regret that we do not even publish ten books a year about our neighbors? Our future is inextricably bound to the wider world. We must understand each of our neighbors better than they understand themselves, centering our relationships on shared interests and adopting a foreign policy with the world that fosters collaboration and unity. We are situated in the Heart of Asia; we must transform this geographical position that God (J) has granted us into the finest opportunity for our people. The value of our hidden mineral wealth exceeds three trillion dollars, yet if we lack unity, focus, and human capital, we will remain trapped in poverty. We possess the finest water resources in the region, yet we run the highest food imports; this contradiction demands a clear blueprint for self-reliance and economic progress. Therefore, it is mandatory that education becomes the central point of our strategic thinking and our higher education system.
In this regard, I share an excellent piece of news resulting from the dedicated efforts of Deputy Minister Balakarzai, the Minister of Higher Education, and Dr. Qayoumi: one of the world's premier institutions, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), has agreed to place its entire engineering curriculum at the disposal of all Afghan universities. Furthermore, the degrees of Afghan engineering graduates will be directly recognized and accredited by IIT Madras. This is a massive step forward, and we will advance further in this direction day by day, which must be systematically prioritized. While building 6,000 schools resolves our immediate infrastructural challenges under the rain and sun, the ultimate quality of education rests in your hands, Mr. Minister, and with our colleagues. Quality has not received central attention until now; as you noted, it is absolutely vital that our focus shifts entirely toward educational quality.
Reforming the Educational Output for the 21st Century
Unfortunately, the current output of our education system often produces unemployment, which constitutes a massive injustice against this great generation. Our education system cannot simply repeat the 19th and 20th-century models of Europe and America. We must design an innovative blueprint tailored specifically to the conditions of 21st-century Afghanistan—one that addresses both our culture and our practical future requirements. Please mobilize the finest minds of this society; whatever support or facilitation you require from the government, I am at your service, and the entire state apparatus is at your disposal.
Stability is our great missing piece, and to recover it, we require high-quality education that yields a highly capable human workforce. When I left Afghanistan on September 5, 1979, to pursue my doctorate, the word "stability" was not even common parlance in our society. However, during a BBC radio discourse in 1987, I suddenly realized that this word had transformed into a core, definitive term in Afghan political debate. To achieve stability, just as we require the consolidation of national unity and the rule of law, we equally require a sufficient human workforce. This invaluable capital can only be secured when our education system commands the necessary quality.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I wish to highlight a unique feature of the current solar hijri year. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence. It is an undeniable fact that for a nation to truly complete its independence, it must stand firmly on its own feet and free itself from dependence on others. To achieve this objective, strategic thought is required above all else. As we have stated, God (J) has endowed Afghanistan with countless blessings and riches. To utilize these resources and wealth, we require innovative thinking and initiative.
I call upon all students in the high schools and universities of Afghanistan, in honor of the centennial year of our independence, to write essays introducing or detailing paths for the development and improvement of their villages, communities, districts, provinces, or the country as a whole. These essays must not be mere repetitions of text extracted from existing books; rather, they should offer fresh perspectives based on your own personal experiences and observations. The one hundred finest essays will be awarded special prizes and published. Similarly, the best school anthems and choral performances will receive awards. I request the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education to share the specific details of this competition with all students.
Welfare of Teachers, Revenue Protection, and Public Health Directives
Regarding the livelihoods of our respected teachers, two primary points must be highlighted. Within the next three months, a clear blueprint to provide affordable housing will be finalized; the entire government is actively engaged in this task. My explicit deadline, particularly for the Ministry of Urban Development and Land—given that the land allocation issues have been largely resolved—is to fundamentally resolve the planning of these teacher housing townships within the next three months, allowing us to provide a reliable, clear response to our respected teachers. Furthermore, the structure of teacher salaries is currently under comprehensive review.
Our key leverage point is increasing our national revenue. My request to every teacher is to stand at the frontline of the fight against corruption. Unfortunately, although the Afghan government expanded its revenue by 90% over the past four years, it still collects only 35% of the total revenue it should be collecting. Our salaries cannot be permanently expanded through international aid alone; our lives are clearly interconnected, and our economic engine must move faster. Stealing from national revenue is directly stealing from our teachers and our students. We must declare a nationwide collective mobilization (Hashar) to fight against this sinister phenomenon, and we are introducing a explicit framework for this so that our respected teachers can carry out their duties with absolute confidence, God willing.
In conclusion, I once again congratulate everyone on the arrival of the New Year. I ask our esteemed teachers and students to welcome and treat the children who are stepping into school for the very first time with special care, affection, and kindness. I instruct the Ministry of Public Health to establish mobile clinics across all schools to rapidly screen these new students, ensuring they can contribute to this society in full health.
Long live Afghanistan!