Thread by @Samuel_Hall_

1/11: In #Afghanistan, 1.2M are currently denied access to schools above Grade 6. For younger girls, factors such as a limited number of schools, lack of female teachers further hamper access to education. What can we do to address this inaccessibility? - A 🧵

2/11 Despite limited access to formal education, our research in Afghanistan has found that displaced girls and boys use informal means of education to continue learning in safe spaces⬇️

3/11 These include studying in madrasas, mosques, brothers tutoring their sisters at home & literacy classes for young women. These informal learning methods & safe spaces offer starting points for #humanitarian actors to build upon existing initiatives and bridge learning gaps.

4/11 Researchers such as Bibi-Zuhra Faizi have also shown the success of community-based schools in absorbing out-of-school students, in both rural and urban areas of Afghanistan. They make a case for this in the article published by @HarvardWCFIA ⬇️
wcfia.harvard.edu/publications/c…

5/11 Lessons learned from Afghanistan highlight the need to invest in local structures, trust, & relations that will sustain girls’ education, despite it being banned the women 'shuras' (consultative councils) can be used as a platform to impart non-formal education.

6/11 While investing in aid, it is important to recognise the cultural differences, challenges and opportunities of employing solutions in Afghanistan. This means maintaining⬇️

7/11 @Oeppen & Tahir Zaman, co-directors of @scmrjems highlight education as a protective pathway for Afghan women in their article for @IOMPublications Migration Policy Practice’s special issue on Afghanistan, guest edited by SH's @nassimmajidi ➡️publications.iom.int/system/files/p…

8/11 In the MPP issue, @chrisnyamandi also highlights the need to explore existing donor mechanisms that can maintain educational activities within 🇦🇫. This can be adapted to the needs of displaced children living within camps & help prevent children from dropping out of school.

9/11 Building on @UNESCO's interventions to support the continuity of education, data can be a tool for advocacy for investments into culturally appropriate, and context-specific programmes.

10/11 #Investments are needed — if there's no formal, national education system, then investing in informal, community-based systems that can maintain the aspirations, hopes and dreams of an entire country. Afghanistan — and the world — cannot sustain any other alternative.

11/11 Our latest piece on Samuel Hall Stories, by the SH Team offers more insights on how we can continue making education inclusive for all children in #Afghanistan and beyond. Read here in light of #InternationalDayOfEducation ⬇️
medium.com/samuel-hall-st…