Reopen Prem Nagar school, Khost residents urge govt

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Residents of southeastern Khost province say a primary school for girls has long been shut in Prem Nagar village.

The school, where hundreds of boys and girls are enrolled, has been closed since last seven months.

The residents said their children were deprived of education due to the closure of the school.

A local resident, Sabir Jan Saberi, told Pajhwok the government should reopen the gate of the school for students.

Saberi said: “I also studied in this school. I hope the school will be reopened as the children now roam the streets.”

Mohammad, a third grade student of the school, said he got enrolled in a private school situated in a remote area after their school was closed.

The 10-year-old said going the private school was not easy for being remote.

”I was accustomed to study in this school, now I go to a different school, I wish our school to be opened again.”

Naqib Rasol Kaliwal, headmaster of the school since 15 years, said most residents of this area were poor and now they had no access to education.

‘Our school was like a gift for them”.

Mohammad added: “The residents of this Hindu-minority village are very poor. Most students of this school sold goods on handcarts in the city. It was hard for us to convince them to study in the school and work for themselves in the city.”

However, the residents asked the government to reopen the school.

But local authorities said the school was closed because other schools  existed in the area.

Deputy director of education Khairu Gul told Pajhwok that the primary school was merged into another school due to the shortage of teachers and its students were sent to other nearby schools.

Khairu Gull said: “The Prem Nagar primary school is located in the village of Hindus and Gharghasht and Shaheed Matiullah high schools are at the two sides of Prem Nagar primary school. So it was merged into those two schools.”

The Prem Nagar primary school situated west of Khost city in the village of Hindus was built two decades ago for the Hindu minority, but they migrated to other countries.

Other local children would also study in the school until it was shut down.

aw/ma

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