Community-based classes set up for 10,000 Nuristan children

PARON (Pajhwok): Officials in eastern Nuristan province say the way has been paved for 10,000 children in remote areas to get education something they had no access to before.

Education Director Maulvi Taj Mohammad Mutmin told Pajhwok Afghan News that community-based classes were set up this year for 10,000 children in remote areas with financial support of the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

These children had previously no access to education due to long distances from schools, he said, adding 300 community-based classes have been set up in the province where another 100 classes were being established.

He said special attention was paid to religious seminaries in the province this year as 38 seminaries were built and registered in the framework of the Education Department.

He added 655 new teacher posts had been approved for these seminaries and the recruitment process was ongoing.

In the previous years, he said, the shortage of textbooks was a serious challenge, but fortunately this year they distributed 100,000 textbooks to students in the province

He added: “Much more textbooks are also being transferred to the province as well and they will be distributed to the students soon.”

The official said efforts were underway to appoint new teachers in schools which faced a shortage of teachers.

He said the education minister promised him during his visit to the province that efforts were underway to increase teachers’ salaries.

Bashirullah, a resident, said the education situation in the province was still not good and the officials should pay attention to it.

Nuristan has 214 schools and 75 percent of them are without buildings and their students attend classes under the open sky.

About 1,200 teachers are teaching to nearly 4,0000 students in these schools.

kk/sa/ma

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