Training Effective Afghan Teachers

Thank you so much for your support of the Afghan Institute of Learning’s (AIL) Teacher Training program! As the situation in Afghanistan changes, it becomes more important than ever for AIL to train teachers to teach students to think critically, rather than rely on rote memorization in the classrooms. In addition, AIL also invites teachers to workshops on topics such as leadership, health, and democracy, knowing that the teachers will carry these lessons back to their classrooms to share with their students. 

Two workshops were recently held for 76 teachers in a part of Herat Province facing significant bouts of insecurity. The schools were adamant that they want their teachers to be among the best, and AIL decided that they would go and work with the teachers. Our staff reported that the teachers were so thankful to AIL for coming out to their village and working with them.

One of the new teachers shared a sentiment that is familiar to any new teacher. The young woman said, “I just graduated and I am excited to teach, but I keep thinking that it is going to be so difficult to teach a classroom full of students. I know my subject well, but what is the best way to teach it? I began to worry that I wasn’t going to be able to run my class efficiently because I’ve never taught before. This seminar has taught me so many new techniques and now I feel confident to step in to my classroom. During the seminar I had the chance to teach a sample lesson and then be evaluated by the trainers and participants. This was the most beneficial part of the seminar, and really helped me to understand how to use the new teaching methods that I learned. Now I am confident that I will be a good teacher for my students.” 

Another teacher named Zia participated in the seminar. Every day during Zia’s classes, her students were loud and clearly uninterested in the subjects she was teaching. She didn’t know what was causing the students to behave so poorly and was frustrated. During the seminar taught by AIL, Zia learned new teaching techniques and soon realized that her students were acting out of boredom. As soon as the seminar was over, she began using the new techniques she learned in her classroom and saw an immediate change. Now, her students are showing a great deal of interest in the lessons, and the student’s marks are improving. We are so happy to hear that things in Zia’s classroom have improved so dramatically! 

As Afghanistan continues to move forward, more and more children and adults are seeing out education, but the country simply does not have enough qualified teachers to educated everyone yet. Your support is helping to change this. To date your support has helped AIL to offer trainings and workshops to 597 teachers, 356 of whom were women. Thank you for seeing the value in educating the teachers of Afghanistan and for supporting our project!