Tutoring is a program that Nai Qala has initiated with governmental approval, and which takes place outside of the regular government school program and timing. Such classes usually take place during the winter holidays. The capacity building program aims at improving student learning by providing extra courses on specific subjects such as mathematics, chemistry and physics.
The lack of qualified teachers is one of the reasons for the low quality of education in remote Afghan regions and is a big challenge for the Ministry of Education. Therefore, during the winter holidays, many male high school students go to towns to take some additional courses with private teachers to improve their knowledge in difficult topics. However, girls have little or no opportunity to go to towns to attend extra classes, which is a big challenge.
The Nai Qala Association has hired 3 qualified teachers as trainers. These teachers have a different profile and play a specific role as compared to state teachers, by offering tutoring classes to students on specific subjects. Nai Qala trainers also give advice to, and coach the state teachers as well.
Furthermore, the teacher trainers are themselves former students from Nai Qala schools. Tutoring the children of their region of origin creates job opportunities to young people and supports the development of local capacity.
Since the beginning of the project in 2016, nearly 1’500 students (of which a majority of girls) from the schools built by Nai Qala have benefited from tutoring classes during their winter holidays.
Although the project was terminated during the winter 2018-2019, with 164 of girls tutored in the school of Sokhtagi, Nai Qala will continue its engagement to improve the quality of education in those remote regions by providing pedagogical and technical support to teachers of its schools.
The program phases
- In 2016, the pilot project providing tutoring to more than a hundred students preparing for university entrance, turned into a big success. Our original goal was to tutor 46 girls and 34 boys, but more students became interested and benefited from our project. Extra study support – especially in mathematics, physics and chemistry – has been provided to some 420 students in 4 schools (of which 3 built by Nai Qala).
- From January to April 2017 tutorial classes were organized by the Nai Qala Association for 200 boys and girls, in Zeera Gag school, in order to prepare the Kankor (university entrance) exams.
- A tutoring program took place in Tagab Barg from May to August 2017. Over 182 teenagers (120 girls and 62 boys) registered for the course.
- Between December 2017 and April 2018, during the winter break, 180 pupils – 85 girls and 95 boys – participated in the course at Zeera Gag. The popularity of the program (which had already taken place the previous winter at the same place) motivated students from other districts to participate: there were about fifteen girls and boys who came from the neighboring district of Panjab, from the region of Waras, to participate to the class.
- The tutoring program under its original format was terminated during the winter 2018-2019, with 164 of girls tutored in the school of Sokhtagi.