Teacher Training Program

Training of teachers is an essential need in Afghanistan’s educational system.  Many schoolteachers in Afghanistan lack professional teaching skills.  Therefore, they generally rely on outdated lecture-based methodology without involving students in the learning process. The end result is that students’ learning is compromised.  SEPA works towards resolving this challenge through the training of trainers (ToT) who in turn train schoolteachers in learning and teaching methodologies.

School curriculum has changed 6 times in the past 50 years.  The first school curriculum was introduced during King Zaher Shah’s era in the 1960s. This was changed under the first Republic under Dawood Khan in the 1970s.  The third curriculum was introduced during the Soviet War in Afghanistan in the 1980s.  The fourth one was introduced under Najibullah's communist government in the 1990s.  The Mujaheddin introduced the first version of the curricula after Najib’s government in the late 1990s.  The final or 6th version of the curriculum was introduced during the Western Engagement in Afghanistan after 2001.  Political changes in Afghanistan have warranted changes in the school curricula.  Professional Afghan educators have had limited involvement or engagement in the curriculum development processes in Afghanistan.  Therefore, Afghan teachers require assistance and training to deliver the curriculum more effectively to students in Afghanistan.

Senior teacher trainers deliver the ToT training.  The senior teacher trainers are trained professionals who have a long history of involvement in Afghanistan’s education and have experience training teachers in the past. 

SEPA’s ToT trainers use their experience to train trainers and teachers in workshops and seminars designed for their needs.  SEPA taps into the pool of University of Nebraska-trained teacher trainers with extensive knowledge and expertise in teaching and training teachers.  SEOA has also established and organized the ToT trainers in Afghanistan’s Teacher Trainers’ Association (ATTA) which partners with SEPA to deliver and promote education in Afghanistan.

SEPA-trained trainers then deliver training to in-service teachers in Afghan schools.  Teachers are pooled from primary, middle, and high school to participate in short-term or long-term training programs designed to help them improve their capacity in developing lesson plans and goals (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and annual), identifying relevant teaching methodologies and teaching supplies, preparing and conducting student assessments and tests.  

SEPA’s teacher training program provides comprehensive training in all these areas and strives to make Afghan teachers excel in teaching better to the next generation of Afghanistan.  In alignment with our vision, we strive to help every Afghan child get a high-quality education in the classroom.