Between Nov. 2009, when the program began, until Oct. 2013, only 73,700 ANSF soldiers passed a literacy test that they could read at a third grade level, according to the report. 224,000 had passed the first grade level literacy test. Despite those numbers, SIGAR concluded that the program appears to have had limited impact on actual literacy levels within the ANSF.

In addition, many of the soldiers who have been educated at U.S. taxpayer expense are no longer in the Afghan Army. The ANSF has a remarkably high attrition rate, between 30 and 50 percent a year. As of Feb. 2013, roughly half of the ANSF was still illiterate, according to some of the officials in charge of the literacy training.

Moreover, the U.S. government is not able to verify if the program is working.

“The command’s ability to measure the effectiveness of its literacy training program and determine the extent to which overall literacy of the ANSF has improved is limited,” the report stated.