Education plan launched for child labourers

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Local officials have announced the launch of a six-month UNICEF-funded primary education programme for 100 child labourers in northern Baghlan province.

Director of Labour and Social Affairs Qari Nasrullah Parsa, said the children, working on the streets of Pul-i-Khumri due to poverty, had started receiving education through the initiative.

According to Parsa, the programme, supported financially by UNICEF, also provides each of the children with a daily stipend of 100 afghanis.

Abdul Hakim Mazlumyar, one of the organisers, explained the children had been selected on the basis of a survey conducted in Pul-i-Khumri.

In addition to receiving education and daily stipends, the children are provided with breakfast and a monthly allowance of 3,000 afghanis to support their families.

After the six-month period, they will be introduced to the Department of Education for enrollment in formal schools.

One of the children, 12-year-old Mustafa, shared his enthusiasm with Pajhwok, saying he was previously working as a painter in Pul-i-Khumri.

He expressed happiness over being part of the education programme, which allows him to learn while earning money.

This initiative comes in response to a UNICEF survey, conducted two years ago, which identified approximately 14,000 children in the province, many of whom missed out on education due to their engagement in labour.

sa/mud