INGOs building education state capacity in Afghanistan, problems and prospects

Farzana Bardai
University of Sussex, England

Capacity development is viewed as a means to improve sustainable access to quality education in conflict and post conflict states. Capacity development is intended to supports government actors to be more effective in creating policies to improve education systems. INGO’s (International Non-Governmental Organizations) play a crucial role in this regard, particularly in various ways including supporting formulation of policy, budgeting, building government capacity, as well as education provision. Much aid in conflict context is spent on supporting INGOs to develop state capacity to rebuild education systems. However, there is little research that grapples with “the security and development needs of the social, economic and political context” (Davies, 2009, p.6), in relation to education capacity development in conflict-affected countries.

In this context, the paper is based on research conducted for a doctoral study that focuses on the role and programs of INGOs working in the education sector intended to support the capacity development of government officials. This paper aligns itself to the BAICE’s Education in conflict, crisis and times of uncertainty (Education, conflict and peace building) theme by focusing on the neglected topic of how INGOs support state capacity.

Using the theoretical work produced by Novelli et al (2014), Davies, (2009, 2011) and Rizvi et al, (2010), this paper provides an empirical analysis of the role of INGOs in the complex context of Afghanistan. The research utilizes a case study mix method approach, drawing data from interviews, questionnaires and documents. This paper argues that global and local actors influence the implementation of education capacity building programmes by INGOs in Afghanistan, and the effects can be seen when examining education policies. This paper contributes to the understanding of how capacity is developed by INGOs in conflict-affect countries, in a globalising context in which nation state autonomy is challenged.