Kokcha region children deprived of basic education facilities

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): The parents of some school students in the Mawara-i-Kokcha region in northern Takhar province have complained against their deprivation in the area of education and said for years their children deprived from proper school infrastructure and had to study under the sky.

Haji Mohammad Sarwar, the resident of Khawaja Bahauddin district, said: “The Darwaza Pata High School has been in deteriorated condition due to decades of conflict and as a result our children have no proper place to study and had to set on a wet place under a tree and study without proper equipment.”

Taj Mohammad, one of the local elders, said: “We often referred to the Education Department during the past 10 years to address our education related problems. Now we are concerned at the future of our children who had no education opportunity in the past years.”

Durqad district in the Kokcha region also witnessed heavy fighting during the past conflict and remained a hot battle ground between conflicting sides.

Education related issues are also huge in Durqan where most of the school had ruined due to the past conflict and the students had to learn under the sky.

Nasrudding, one of the teachers of Musazai Intermediate School in Durqad, said: “Our schools have no building and we study in open. Text books not provided to this school over the past several years as well and 20 students shared one book. The current government also paid no attention over the past two years.”

Farid Ahmad, a civil society activist, said that the lack of education facilities had spread disappointment among students and asked the current government to pay attention in this regard.

He said in the past there was fighting and conflict adding that now when security situation had improved government should pay attention to the development of education.

He stressed current crises needed to be resolved on urgent bases so that student go and attend their studies with zeal and enthusiasm.

Mohammadullah, the student of Musazai School in Durqad district, said: “Our school is without building, we don’t have books, there is no water and during winter the tent in which we study could protect us from hot weather, rein and storm. We want the government to resolve our problems.”

Education Director Mawlavi Hizbullah Mubashir said of the total 700 schools 360 were without building but still efforts were underway to address the existing issues.

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