Key Findings

Prevailing Conditions in the General Population

Our baseline report showed that as of early 2024, when educational broadcasts had just begun, rates of access to the broadcasts were relatively low (only 27% of children had accessed educational broadcasts), but by the endline six months later, even in the control communities, about half of the children (52%) were tuning in regularly. This shows that demand for educational broadcasts was high. Our baseline report also showed that content knowledge for 7th grade biology, chemistry, and mathematics (the subject areas covered by the broadcasts that we focus on here) was very low. Despite low content knowledge, the majority of adolescent children demonstrated at least 4th grade level abilities in literacy and numeracy skills during a rapid assessment, meaning that they could engage with the content. For the 52% of children who tuned into the educational broadcasts in the Control group, their test scores improved by 37% over the course of the broadcast season.

Impact Estimates

The interventions succeeded in boosting rates at which children regularly tuned in to the broadcasts. The text encouragements boosted rates of tuning in regularly by just over 15 percentage points, and combining text encouragements with offers of tutoring to girls increased rates of tuning in regularly by about 30 percentage points. Take up of the tutoring was also high. 

Because of our randomized design, we could use these increases in tune-in and tutoring rates to estimate the impact of the broadcasts and tutoring support. Focusing on 7th-grade level content in biology, chemistry, and math, the results show that:

• Tuning In Regularly: Children who were encouraged to tune in had test scores more than double (129%) that of comparable peers who did not tune in. Specifically, children induced to tune in gained approximately 31 percentage points from a base score of 24% among comparable peers.

• Combined Tuning In and Tutoring: Children who were induced to tune in and attend tutoring regularly had scores triple (200%) that of comparable peers who did not tune in or attend tutoring regularly. Specifically, children who were induced to tune in and attend tutoring gained about 42 percentage points from a base score of 21% among comparable peers.  This result highlights the significant educational benefit of combining broadcast media with additional learning support services like tutoring.

• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL): The impact on SEL outcomes was less certain, in that tuning in regularly led to an approximate 9-point gain on the 45 point SEL scale, but the estimate was very imprecise and therefore not statistically significant. Effects were driven primarily through improvements in children's sense of self efficacy. Attending tutoring did not show a substantial additional benefit for SEL. 

Surprisingly, girls had higher baseline knowledge in biology, chemistry, and math than boys, despite facing barriers to formal education. The encouragements to tune in had the strongest impact on girls living in population centers of Kabul and Herat and who had relatively higher levels of education. The effects of tuning in were similarly large for both girls and boys. The tutoring program targeted girls specifically, and the learning impact was large for girls. Boys also benefited indirectly from the tutoring for girls, likely because the presence of tutoring in the household encouraged them to tune in to broadcasts regularly.

Cost Effectiveness for Learning Impact

The study found that text message encouragements were highly cost-effective, costing $4.09 per child for four months (or about $1 per month) and yielding significant learning gains. The tutoring intervention, though more expensive at $58.63 per child (less than $15 per month), had exceptionally large learning effects and demonstrated reasonable cost-effectiveness, and the results suggest value in exploring scalable tutoring methods. We stress that this study was not designed to measure other possible effects of the tutoring classes, including improved mental health, positive views of the future, or other social gains likely to accrue both to girls in Afghanistan who join such groups and to the teachers who run them. 

Conclusion

The study underscores the potential of broadcast media as a powerful tool for delivering education to underserved populations in Afghanistan. An important point to note is that the participants in the study operated with the understanding that children would be tested at the end of the broadcast season, and so the anticipation of such a test may have motivated learning. The combination of educational broadcasts with targeted interventions like remote tutoring significantly improved academic outcomes for children, particularly girls who face significant barriers to formal education.

The research also highlights the importance of understanding the context-specific challenges and opportunities when designing educational interventions in conflict-affected settings. For instance, while television and radio broadcasts can reach a broad audience, additional support mechanisms like tutoring can maximize learning outcomes.

Recommendations

Based on the study's findings, we propose the following recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of similar educational initiatives in Afghanistan and other low-income, conflict-affected settings:

• Expand Access to Broadcast Media: Efforts should be made to increase access to television and radio, particularly in rural areas where infrastructure may be lacking.

• Expand Broadcast Marketing and Information Campaigns: Efforts should be made to increase awareness about broadcasts and to encourage families to allow their children to regularly watch educational broadcasts.

• Integrate Learning Support Services: While broadcast media can effectively deliver educational content, additional learning support services such as tutoring or peer learning groups can maximize learning outcomes and should be maintained. Research should focus on efforts that allow for scale up and complement these interventions.

• Consider Outcomes Beyond Content Knowledge: Research should investigate mental health and wellbeing effects of access to education and additional learning support services.

We stress that this study does not suggest remote or broadcast-based education as a replacement for in-person classroom learning. While children can learn meaningfully from broadcast media and benefit from remote tutoring, existing research shows that these strategies are best seen as complementary to in-person schooling or as a remedial solution in exceptional situations where in-person education is not possible (UNESCO, 2023), such as the current circumstances in Afghanistan. 

In sum, the Expanding Access to Quality Education in Afghanistan project provides insights into how educational broadcasts, when combined with additional support mechanisms, can significantly improve learning outcomes for children who face barriers to accessing formal in-person schooling. The study's findings offer a roadmap for scaling up similar initiatives, ensuring that more children, especially girls, can access the education they deserve, even in the most challenging circumstances.