Afghanistan's competency based curriculum framework: A reflection from social and emotional learning in the context of the Taliban

• In Event: What’s context got to do with it? Cases of SEL programming

Proposal

This paper examines contradictions in the development of Afghanistan’s new Competency-based Curriculum Framework and the context of Afghanistan. On one hand, you have the global push towards competencies, 21st century skills, lifelong learning and economic competiveness. On the other, you have Taliban imperative of ensuring commitment to Islamatization of the Curriculum. From 2018, the Afghan Ministry of Education Ministry of Education (MoE) worked with UNESCO and a team of international consultants to develop a new Competency-based Curriculum (CBE) for general education. Preparation included examination of Afghan society and the existing curriculum as well as a review other country curricula including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Iran and India. However, the President’s Office had not yet endorsed it when the Taliban took control. The CBE framework document was developed on principles of the Holy Religion of Islam, national values, academic principles, human rights, democracy and social justice, and national and international opportunities and needs. Every Afghan man and woman was to become a competent, patriotic, civilized Afghan Muslim who has firm faith and resilience; to become a lifelong learner and have life competencies; and to serve a prosperous and proud nation, feeling responsible towards self, family, homeland and society. Substantially, however, the Afghan CBE Framework document reflects an international instrumental focus on students’ future citizenship and working life. Social and emotional learning appears to have only a modest if any role, in a context where learners have faced decades of conflict. A further contradiction is the situation of Islamic education and values in CBE in Afghan education with the Taliban in power. From an Islamic education perspective, values and norms are emphasized in all aspects of curriculum, co-curricular activities, methods of teaching, relationship between teacher, educator and student and the relationship between the educational institution and society. It is not clear how this will be negotiated in practice in relation to the definition, teaching and learning and assessment of the 21st century skills that dominate Afghan’s CBE Framework.

Author

• Jordan Naidoo Perumal Naidoo, IIEP-UNESCO