60 percent children in Helmand deprived of education

LASKARGAH (Pajhwok): Due to lack of school-buildings and teachers, about 60 percent of school-age children in southern Helmand province have no access to education, local officials said on Saturday.

The officials added that some districts in Helmand even do not have a single school.

During an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, provincial education director Maulvi Abdullah Zakir said the number of functioning schools in Helmand reached 357 and over 183,000 students were studying in these schools.

A number of schools in some districts lacked enough equipment and teachers and in some districts there was no school.

He said: “The past government paid little attention to the education sector, but after the takeover by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), some school-buildings were rebuilt while reconstruction work on some other schools is ongoing. but the number of children having no access to schools is still 60 percent in the province.”

Most children were deprived of education in Bahramcha, Baghni and Baghran districts.

Districts such as Nahr-i-Siraj, Garmsir, Khan Nishin, Dishoo, Bahramcha, Baghni and Baghran need schools and local officials have shared their requests for construction of schools with the Ministry of Education (MoE).

The residents of the mentioned districts not only need schools and teachers, they are also in need of school-books. The MoE distributed over 715,000 books in 2019 to the students, but they need over 845,000 more books, Maulvi Zakir added.

He added: “Sixty percent of the students in functional schools have books, but the rest will get their new books early next educational year.”

About shortage of professional teachers, Zakir said Helmand province was suffering from the issue since two decades.

He added: “The issue of professional teachers has been addressed somehow in Helmand after the takeover by IEA, but half of the schools still need professional teachers.”

According to local officials, 60 percent of school-age children in Helmand are deprived from education and the reasons for this said to be lack of school-buildings and other issues.

Earlier officials of central Uruzgan province said that 84 percent school-age children were also deprived  of education in the province.

aw/ma

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