188 schools in Farah operate in rented buildings, tents

FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): The Education Department of western Farah province says that out of 395 schools in the province, 188 do not have their own buildings and operate in rented houses.

Maulvi Akhtar Mohammad Zaeem, the Director of Education, told Pajhwok Afghan News that 395 schools are active in the province, with a total of 132,263 students, including 45,036 girls, receiving education.

He added that 188 of these schools lacked proper buildings, with most of them were operating in rented houses and a few were functioning in tents.

According to him, two new school buildings were constructed this year, and several others have been renovated.

Zaeem said the issue of lack of school buildings in the province had been shared with officials in Kabul, and hoped a solution would be found.

He also added that, in addition to schools, 588 seminaries (religious schools) were currently operating in the province, 16 of which were official and the rest privately-run. Furthermore, there are around 300 village-based madrassas established by local communities, where men, women, and children are receiving education.

On the other hand, locals are insisting that schools should have their own buildings.

Mohammad Yunus, a resident of Panjli village in Farah city, told Pajhwok, “We are aware that some schools in the city and districts do not have proper buildings, which is troublesome for students both in summer and winter. Proper buildings should be constructed for them.”

Similarly, Hamid Nekzad, a resident of Mulla Aman village in Pushtrod district, said that the government and organizations must provide a safe environment for students' education.

Nekzad added that in many districts, either school buildings have been destroyed or they are operating in old rented houses.

Meanwhile, some residents of Farah's rural areas are complaining that no schools have been established in their regions so far and are insisting that this issue needs to be addressed.

sa/ma