Khost Model School should be opened soon: People

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Students and civil society activists in southeastern Khost province on Monday asked the government to open a model high school in the province.

The model high school, built by the Ministry of Education, is located in Azadi Mena area in the capital of Khost province. The school has been built at a cost of 215 million afghanis.

The school was inaugurated around a year ago by former acting education minister,RanginaHamidi and a number of other senior government officials, however, the school is yet to be formally opened.

Former education officials had said that the school would enroll students from ninth to 12th grade with high marks and talent.

Ikramullah, a 12^thgrade student, told Pajhwok Afghan News he had been waiting since a year for a chance to study at the school.

He asked officials concerned to open the high school for students so that they could enjoy modern and advanced education in practical and theoretical fields.

"It was promised that the model high school would have a lot of basic facilities like dormitory, computer lab, science lab and other necessary facilities for students, but unfortunately the school is yet to be activated after a long time,” he said.

Noorullah, a 10^th grade student, said that he hoped to study at the model high school built for innovative students.

Noor Shah Noorani, a civil society activist and former member of the provincial council, said millions of afghanis had been spent on the construction of the school building, but it was left inactive and it may ruin.

He asked education officials to approve the structure and provide budget for the school so that in the coming new year, the students would be able to study there.

"It will be very important for the people of Khost in secondary education, because students from different areas including neighboring provinces will study there,” he said.

Another civil society activist, Spin Rawan Noorzai, said it had been more than a year since the school was inaugurated, but it still lacked a formal structure and other needed facilities.

"Students should be educated to the standards based on which the school is built for. We urge officials to keep this school a model school in Khost so it would be a source for knowledge,” he said.

Provincial officials said they had sent several proposals to the central government for the operation of the school.

Bahadur, an official of Khost education department, told Pajhwok that there was a shortage of about 2,500 personnel in the education sector in the province.

He asked the Ministry of Education to appoint special staff for the functioning of the model high school.

The school that is built on four acres of land is modern and well-equipped and has 72 classrooms, dormitory, mosque, green space and other necessary facilities.

mds/ma