Over the last 20 years, the United States has worked closely with the Afghan government on a multitude of initiatives to provide quality primary, secondary, and higher education to millions of

citizens throughout Afghanistan.  These programs have bolstered school enrollment for 9.6 million young minds and strengthened educational institutions, safeguarding the opportunity to learn for millions of Afghans and ensuring a more prosperous future for their country.

Since 2008, USAID has built and repaired 580 schools, trained 480,000 teachers, and printed and distributed 170 million Ministry of Education-approved textbooks.  Among other concrete results, these efforts bolstered the reading skills of 1.2 million children and increased access to education for 3.5 million Afghan girls—allowing many to attend school for the first time in their lives.

In higher education, USAID played a pivotal role in increasing enrollment from merely 3,000 men in 2001 to 350,000 men and women in 2021.  Since 2014, the United States has funded 1,700 scholarships for faculty members and female students.  The formation of 30 strategic partnerships between 11 Afghan and 13 U.S. universities led to 31 new degree programs at Afghan universities, enhanced academic policies, improved curriculum development, and increased faculty capacity.

Education is the foundation for children and youth to build more prosperous futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.  The United States is committed to supporting such life-changing education initiatives to improve access and quality of education for young Afghans for years to come. Photo by Carl Montgomery, Wikimedia commons.