USAID/Afghanistan Support for Higher Education

As part of its learning agenda and market research, USAID/Afghanistan wants to know what ways we can build upon existing programs to stimulate and improve the access to, quality, and management of higher education in Afghanistan. The purpose of USAID’s support to Afghan higher education has been to introduce opportunities for the improvement of the workforce (employable graduates) through market-driven degree programs, development of leadership and soft skills among students and faculty, and to support the Ministry of Higher Education and public universities to provide quality university-level instruction, to advance their organizational development, and to conduct policy reform at the system level. Given what has been learned from these investments, this RFI focuses on how such achievements can be sustained and what else is required (i.e., possible new or different interventions). This is outlined further with the chart included in the RFI, which compares the activities of existing investments with illustrative new or additional interventions. USAID wants to hear from respondents whether the illustrative interventions will help to improve the delivery and impact of higher education in Afghanistan. Each activity corresponds to one of three priority focus areas for USAID: access, quality, and management. As part of the input, submissions can build on current activities or propose alternative or additional activities. In addition, USAID also wants to know if other pertinent elements are missing from the dialogue on improving higher education, and would like to hear from the public and their ideas on the following topics described in the RFI.