Training & Education

Training and Education Unit:

With the implementation of ARDSS (Agriculture and Rural Development Sector Strategy) as well as CRD (Comprehensive Rural Development Strategy), the need for developing a strong cadre of professionally skilled personnel at different levels through human resource development has become an important imperative. Since there is no certain focus on rural development studies in the current education curriculum of universities in the country, the task becomes more challenging and urgent. Developing a broad framework of capacity building is an important task of AIRD, which has been established as an academic centre for rural development studies to build human capacity needed for execution of CRD. Training & Education unit is, therefore, one of the important pillars of AIRD.

Objectives:

The training and Education section of AIRD particularly focuses on (i) Rural Development Planning, (ii) Rural Development Management; (iii) Local Governance, (iv) Rural Development and  (v) Gender Studies

Training Database AIRD by 2007-2011

The target group (clientele) include:

The long term plan of Training and Education program of the department will include, besides the Short and Medium Terms Training, comprising orientation course on CRD, elements of rural development, knowledge and skill development courses, and in-services course on various issues of rural development;

Since, 2008, this unit has been implementing various capacity development projects, Result Based Management Project funded by GTZ, Capacity Development Program for formal and Informal Local Self Governance Institutions (LSGIs) and Social/Community workers, Capacity Building Program for CDCs/DDAs and Social Workers funded by AECID (Spanish Agency for International Development), Capacity Building and Institutional Development Project in Kandahar funded by CIDA IALP-2 Project, Strengthen Support Community-Led Development Structure funded by JICA, and some other pilot phase capacity building projects. Besides, The capacity building of MRRD core staff, the training unit of AIRD has been working in nine provinces in south, south-west, west, north, central and north-east region of the country.

All the subjects of training courses have been chosen based on the standard needs of social workers and members of local shuras. The capacity building and training courses of institute are implemented in the following four phases with specific subjects:

1. Awareness Raising (ToT, decentralization, & good governance)
2. Knowledge Development (social mobilization, participatory approach (PRA), rural development and local governance, strategic planning, project management and Do No Harm)
3. Skill Development (leadership, working with conflict, participatory monitoring & evaluation, and public audit)
4. Attitude Change (Evaluation & monitoring of courses and follow up trainings)

Based on the experience of AIRD, the cascade method is used to transfer skills and knowledge from central to grassroots institutions. First, the AIRD national advisors and international consultants train AIRD trainers at the central level. The AIRD trainer’s later work as facilitators and transfer the skill and knowledge to Social Workers (SWs). The SWs will work directly with strengthened CDC and DDA members at the district and village levels.  During this phase, the AIRD trainers will monitor and evaluate the SWS trainings courses in the villages.

Achievements of Training Unit:

According to AIRD strategic plan the Training Unit is mandated to provide sustainable Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Education Programmes. This is a medium and long term plan to be taken up once AIRD gains strength. In the meanwhile, the unit has entered into partnership with National Institute for Rural Development(NIRD) India, to enroll 29 MRRD staff  in the one year Post Graduate Education Programme on Sustainable Rural Development in 2010 offered by NIRD. This is distance learning course in two semesters.  The important lectures will be directly conducted by Indian experts in AIRD through contact class sessions. AIRD intends to gradually expand the programme and offer this programme locally with support from NIRD.

What does Training and Education unit offer?

Contact:

Hayatullah Haleemi:
Cell Phone:# +93 (0) 70000 33 71 / +93 (0) 777 8111 12
E mail: hayatullah.haleemi@mrrd.gov.af