What are the formal and informal learning experiences of disabled children who are in and out of public schooling in rural Afghanistan?

Afghanistan is one of the many countries in the global South that has committed to provide inclusive education for all children, including those with disabilities, by 2020 (Sustainable Development Goal 4). However, there has been a growing body of literature that has questioned the uncritical export of inclusive education models generated in the North to countries in the South. It is argued that the models do not address the lived realities and contexts of Southern countries. For example, in conflict-affected Afghanistan only two thirds of all children attend state schooling, the majority of disabled children are out of school and many children access learning in non-formal settings (e.g. community schools or via family), some of which can
be considered inclusive (Miles, 2001). There is very little literature that provides a qualitative, empirical understanding of the formal or non-formal learning experiences of disabled children in Afghanistan and it appears that none has focused upon the views of the children themselves. My qualitative research aims to explore and compare the learning experiences of disabled children who are in and out of school, based upon the children's perspectives and those of their family. This has the potential to provide a deeper understanding of what constitutes a positive, inclusive learning experience from an Afghan perspective and identify culturally-specific examples of enabling or challenging factors that influence their experiences