UK pledges £9m to support rural girls’ education

KABUL (MoE) to support girls’ education in rural areas, the British ambassador in Kabul said on Thursday.

Karen Pierce, who signed an agreement with the MoE, said the UK government was working together with the MoE to achieve progress in girls education in rural areas of Afghanistan. “We want a clear policy and pledge from the Afghan government regarding educational progress in rural areas of Afghanistan,” she said.

“To support girls’ education on rural level, we would extend the process till 2017 through the British Girls Education Fund,” the ambassador said.

Pierce said a three-year programme to improve girls’ education on rural level was begun two years ago by the MoE with support from some other organizations. The 49 million pounds programme was supposed to continue until 2016, but it was extended until 2017 with an additional cost of nine million pounds, she added.

The implementation of the programme would help around 180,000 girls find access to education and they would be taught by 8,000 teachers in suburb areas, she added.

Pierce said her country helped 16 Afghanistan provinces in area of female education during the past three years.

Education Minister Asadullah Hanif Balkhi thanked the UK government for its support to Afghanistan and said the British government had provided special support to improvement in girls’ education.

He said various reasons existed that deprived Afghan girls from education. He cited the absence of infrastructure, schools, a lack of professional teachers in rural areas, insecurity and poverty as main causes that prevented girls from getting education.

mds/ma