1.
National Institute for Educational Planning, Afghanistan:
From workshopping to institutionalization
Mohammad Aref Arefee
UNESCO-IIEP
27 March 2018, Mexico City, CIES

2.
Outline
• Why was National Institute for Educational Planning (NIEP)
established?
• How was NIEP established?
• What does NIEP offer?
• NIEP Outcomes
• Factors behind NIEP success
• Challenges for NIEP
• The way forward

3.
Why was NIEP established?
NIEP was established to contribute to:
• Prepare competent human resources to
effectively plan, manage, and deliver results;
• Plan following a result-based/norm-based
approach for the allocation of resources and
the equitable delivery of education;
• Reduce the wide-spread corruption at all levels
of education system through bringing more
transparency.

4.
How was NIEP established?
• NIEP was established within the MoE structure with available national
resources and expertise by developing curriculum and learning
materials
• The MoE hired national technical assistants (NTA) through
development budget and the qualified civil servants through MoE
ordinary budget to teach at NIEP
• The MoE constructed a building for the NIEP

5.
Two-week workshops
2008 - 2011
National Training Program
2011 - 2015
NIEP
2015 - ….

6.
What does NIEP offer?
In-service RNTP and ENTP Pre-service FNTP

7.
NIEP course offer
RNTP
• Regular NTP is offered
to the Provincial
Education
Departments staff
whose jobs are
relating to planning,
monitoring and
reporting (In-service).
ENTP
• Evening shift NTP is
offered to the
planning, monitoring
and reporting officers
in MoE central offices,
after official working
hours (in-service).
FNTP
• Female specific NTP is
offered to the young
female high school
graduates (pre-
service).
Common to all 3 courses:
- Two residential semesters (semester 1 and 3);
- Two practical semesters (2 and 4) to write a
Three-year Mid-term Provincial Plan; and an Annual Progress Report

8.
NIEP outcomes
Annual Progress Report
Provincial 3-Year Mid-Term Plan
Over 500 trained education planners to date,
capable of preparing…
Over 200 female high school graduates trained in
educational planning

9.
Factors behind NIEP success
MoE leadership support Efficient collaboration between MoE
and Development partners

10.
Factors behind NIEP success (continued)
• National ownership: development of the training programs by the
MoE and for the the MoE based on the national planning needs and
requirements
• Establishment of highly qualified national team to design and
implement NTP courses
• Concrete and satisfying outcomes at central and provincial levels led
to further demands for trainings and supports from MoE and
Development Partners

11.
Challenges for NIEP
• Sustainability of the financial resources since the NIEP is supported through
external development budget and the cost is relatively expensive
considering the high number of potential candidates for training
• Great number of potential provincial, district and even school levels
trainees, due to decentralization of the planning
• Insecurity at district level that prevent participation of the trainees from
insecure districts
• Interference of warlords, politicians and other influential individuals in
education plan implementation
• Low number of female trainees due to insecurity and cultural barriers

12.
The way forward
• Continue the NTP programs to train the trainees from provincial and
district levels;
• Develop modular curriculum, from two-year NTP to a series of low
cost two-week trainings, adapted to budget constraints;
• Development of distance and e-learning opportunities; and
• Strengthening the qualified civil service cadre in order to replace the
costly national technical assistants;
• Cooperation with the MoE international and national development
partners

13.
Thank you!