Researchers studied 143 families with children returning to Afghanistan after living in Pakistan, asking why so many returning students fail to continue their education smoothly. While 98.6% of parents wanted to support their children's learning and 95.8% trusted the school system, about three-quarters of children experienced broken educational journeys—dropping out, repeating years, or never enrolling at all.
This striking gap between parental intention and actual outcomes reveals what truly blocks returning students: concrete, systemic barriers rather than family motivation.
Poverty and paperwork lock children out of school
The study found that financial hardship was the dominant obstacle. Families lacked money for school fees, uniforms, books, and transportation. Beyond money, 12.6% of children couldn't enroll because they had no official identification documents—a bureaucratic requirement that created an absolute barrier to entry, regardless of ability or willingness to attend.
Learning in a new language while catching up on content
One-third of returning children had studied in Urdu or English abroad but now faced lessons in Dari or Pashto. This language mismatch forced children to learn new content and a new language simultaneously. Many fell behind because they couldn't access lessons taught in languages they didn't yet understand fluently.
Girls faced far steeper barriers than boys
The research revealed that systemic gender barriers amplified all other challenges. Girls returning to secondary school faced legal restrictions on their education that transformed a school transition into an insurmountable obstacle. While boys experienced the documented challenges of poverty and language, girls encountered additional legal and social barriers that made education inaccessible.
For Singapore families, this study offers perspective on educational transitions—whether moving between international and local schools, or relocating abroad. While Singapore has stronger systems than the contexts studied, the research underscores a universal truth: parental support alone cannot overcome systemic gaps. Successful transitions require deliberate language support, streamlined documentation processes, and awareness of which students face compounded challenges.
Supporting your child through an educational transition
- Identify language gaps before enrollment and arrange tutoring or preparatory classes if your child will study in an unfamiliar language.
- Gather all required documents early—passports, previous school records, vaccinations—so administrative hurdles don't delay enrollment.
- If your child faces multiple barriers (language, financial strain, or systemic obstacles), seek support from the school's counselor or your education ministry, rather than assuming family effort alone will bridge the gap.