Despite the interest of some youth in learning foreign languages and digital skills, high fees at private educational centers have limited their opportunities to continue their education. They say that financial problems have caused them to temporarily stop their courses or face difficulties paying the fees.
Layeq Daad, a 25-year-old from Samangan, started learning English two years ago but could not continue because of the high cost. He has now returned to a private educational center in Kabul but complains that the fees are still too high.
“It has been six months since I started attending an English course, and I pay 1,000 Afghanis a month. Sometimes, because of financial problems, I cannot afford the fee. Two years ago, I also could not continue my English classes properly because the fees were too high,” he says.
Although learning skills can be important for personal and social development, economic difficulties have caused a number of youth to face challenges in continuing even short-term courses.
Ahmad Hakimi, a 20-year-old 12th-grade graduate, is another youth trying to learn English. He says the cost of tuition, books and other learning materials has put a lot of financial pressure on him.
“I have been attending an English course for six months. The tuition fee increases every semester. At first, they charge 500 Afghanis, plus 50 to 100 Afghanis for an admission card, and 100 Afghanis for a book, notebook and other learning materials. Overall, the initial cost is quite high. Whenever a new semester starts, the price of the books also increases,” he adds.
Despite the economic difficulties, some girls are trying to take advantage of educational opportunities at private educational centers.
Nooria Ahmadi, a 22-year-old from Parwan, covers her educational expenses through beadwork. She says she is very interested in learning English, but it is very difficult for her to afford the course fees.
“I have been learning English at an educational center for about one to one and a half years. I am very interested in learning English. I pay the fee for each book. When we started, the fee was 500 Afghanis. It was 1,000 Afghanis for the next book, and when we started this book, we paid 1,500 Afghanis,” she says.
Masuma, a 20-year-old from Balkh, also says she is taking digital skills and computer courses. However, paying 1,000 Afghanis each month to renew her registration is very difficult for her because of the current economic situation.
“I have been learning digital skills and computer skills for about three or four months. Every month, I pay 1,000 Afghanis to renew my registration in these courses, and this is a significant amount of money for me,” she says.
Meanwhile, officials at some private educational centers say they have taken the financial difficulties of students into consideration and offered discounts to reduce the financial pressure on them. Farhad Sirat, the founder of a private educational center in Kabul, says,
“Fees that were previously 1,000 Afghanis, for example, have now been reduced to 300 Afghanis because of the difficult economic situation. We have also introduced a 50 percent discount for those who cannot afford the fees.”
Zahra Khwaja, head of the department at another educational center in Kabul, says that in addition to reducing tuition fees, they also provide stationery to people in need. She explains,
“Our academy’s fees were higher in previous years, but they have now been reduced because of the difficult economic situation and the interest of youth in education. We offer special discounts and support programs for youth and low-income families, including free stationery and free tuition.”
On the other hand, Jamaluddin Sulaimani, an education expert, says there are government programs that provide skills training, but these programs are limited and cannot meet the needs of all youth.
“The programs established in the Technical and Vocational Education Authority (TVET-A) are free. A budget has also been allocated for this sector, but it is limited and, of course, is not enough to meet everyone’s needs. I hope that the government, private institutions and philanthropists will cooperate in this sector and provide free courses for students,” he says.
As more youth become interested in learning professional skills, private educational centers have become one of the main options for learning these skills. However, high fees at these centers have limited educational opportunities for some youth.
Education experts believe that to provide equal educational opportunities, the government and private institutions need to collaborate more to expand affordable and free education programs.
Reporter: Atefa Malekzada
