 Recieving their certificates at the completion of their Course Responding to an urgent need The education of women and girls is a matter of no small importance in Afghanistan. As a country taking its first steps towards democracy, it is imperative that the traditionally subjugated half of the population, women, receive an education not only so that they can participate actively in the democratic process, but also so that they can experience first-hand the benefits that accompany a democratic, open society which heeds their need for an education. There is a reciprocal relationship between the a political system and the participation level of its people. The Government of Afghanistan is well aware that the way forward in Afghanistan can only be paved by an educated, empowered populace that respects individual and human rights, including those of women. The government is also aware that in its endeavor to promote female education in Afghanistan, it must allow for civil society to step in and fill the lacunae created by the huge need of a nation recovering from twenty-five years of war.  Literacy Courses are conducted in local houses The Government is also aware of the social and cultural taboos associated with female education in the formal school system – parents are unwilling to send their daughters to co-ed schools, or to schools with male teachers, or to schools which are some distance away and require the students to walk. In order to accommodate parents’ wishes and to ensure that girls are not kept away from an education the government has created a system of Literacy Courses for girls and women. These Courses are divided into two levels: Lower level courses called Sowat Amausi which cover the school syllabus from 1st to 3rd grade. The word 'sowat' literally means 'someone who is literate, who can can read and write' while 'amausi' comes from the verb 'to teach.' In other words Sowat Amausi means 'to teach one to become literate.' Higher level courses called Sowat Hayati or Vital Literacy which cover the school syllabus from 4th to 9th grade. The word 'hayat' means 'life' and 'sowat' means 'to be literate.' So, 'Sowat Hayati' means 'literate for life,' which indeed is what this course aims for. |
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The Ministry of Education has created the syllabus for these Literacy Courses to correspond with the formal school system.  A young student identifies the provinces of Afghanistan The Sowat Amausi syllabus covers basic literacy and numeracy skills up to the 3rd grade level in Dari and Mathematics. Prior to January 2007, there were three separate books for Sowat Amausi. However, the government issued a single new coursebook which integrates the curriculum for first, second and third grade. This new coursebook is commended as being better than the formal school curriculum books, and has been a welcome addition to Sowat Amausi courses. In November 2007 Barakat obtained 500 black and white copies of the new Sowat Amausi coursebook, which were promptly distributed to the students and teachers. It cost Barakat 167 Afghani or US $3.50 per black and white coursebook, whereas color printing would have taken the cost to US $15 per coursebook, or four times as much. The Sowat Hayati syllabus covers twelve subjects. As in the case of regular school, the Sowat Hayati curriculum encompasses more subjects in 7th grade. Since these higher-level literacy courses have much more ground to cover, their coursebooks are also more detailed and specialized. 4th to 6th Grade - Dari
- Pashto
- English
- Mathematics
- Science
- Islamiyat (the study of Islam)
- Drawing
- Writing
- Sports
- Geometry
- History
- Geography
- Social Life (education in social mores and traditions)
7th to 9th Grade - Dari
- Pashto
- English
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- History
- Geography
- Islamiyat
- Sports
- Social Life
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 Literacy courses are attended by students of all ages Sowat Amausi classes are held in the home of a host family in the neighborhood who agrees to donate their living space for the duration of the Literacy Course. The local host family provides a safe atmosphere for the Literacy Courses and the much-needed motivation to parents who are otherwise unwilling to send their daughters to school. Sowat Hayati or Vital Literacy Courses are also held in the house of a neighboring host family, but for these courses the host family receives monthly rent and cleaning charges from Barakat. |
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A Sowat Amausi course lasts for ten months, of which nine months are spent in teaching/learning, and one month in examinations, followed by the final closing ceremony, in which graduating students receive certificates. Classes are held five days a week, excluding Thursday and Friday. Each class is supposed to last for ninety minutes. In actuality though, timings are flexible and both teachers and students come in with the explicit intention of covering as much ground as possible. So frequently classes exceed their stipulated time limit of one and a half hours.  Literacy Course participants sing to honor a visit from Barakat staff A Sowat Hayati, or Vital Literacy Course, lasts for six years, from 4th to 9th grade. Five periods of 45 minutes each are held daily for six days per week. In the summer Sowat Hayati closes for the long summer break from June 5th to September 6th. |
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The girls and women who have gone to Barakat’s Literacy Courses and formal schools have had a chance to catch a glimpse of what has thus far been beyond their reach.  A teenager at a Literacy Course In order to continue their education they need help and Barakat is going to intiate Taqaza-e-Dukhtaran in 2008 for 11 girls. The girls are at varying levels of education and are restricted by financial circumstances from continuing their education. They are also constrained in that their parents/guardians do not believe that continued education for their wards is necessary or useful. Unfortunately, they cannot attend Barakat's Sowat Hayati (higher level) Literacy Courses because they live too far away from the sites. However, should the girls be able to get a scholarship to continue studying, they will then have at least some degree of financial independence. |
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Afghanistan 
