Identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Barriers in the Physical Education Administration of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education

The main aim of this study was to identify the strengths, weaknesses, barriers and opportunities in the Physical Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan. The population of the study was the directors of the Physical Education Department and the faculty members of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences of Kabul Education University. Thirty-five individuals were the participants of the study. The research questionnaire employed consisted of four parts (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and barriers) which were used after determining the validity and reliability. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data in SPSS 24 software. The results showed that the most important strengths were the existence of sports networks, paying attention to sports and physical education, the existence of participatory management space as well as setting for collective decision-making. The most noticeable weaknesses are the lack of a strategic plan in the General Directorate of Physical Education, lack of well-trained physical education instructors and its disproportion to the student population of the country. The opportunities available in this field were the young population and the existence of many talents in physical education in the country, increasing the level of education of physical education instructors; and the big threats were the influence and interference of other bodies and non-specialized officials in physical education administration, as well as lack of sufficient funds for sports education. Managers and staff members of the Physical Education General Directorate should better plan for the achievement of high efficiency and effectiveness by identifying strengths and weaknesses and taking advantage of environmental opportunities and barriers.