32 school buildings remain incomplete in Paktia

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): The Education department in southeastern Paktia province says construction work on 32 school buildings launched during the previous government is still incomplete in some districts, including the province capital.

According to officials, 27 of these projects were funded by a loan of 500 million afghanis from the World Bank, and five were financed by the Ministry of Education with 95 million afghanis. However, their construction work remains unfinished.

Maulvi Abdul Qayum Farooqi  told Pajhwok Afghan News that the construction work for these 32 school buildings had started during the previous government in some districts, including Gardez, but they have not been completed yet.

According to him, five of these schools are in the center of Gardez, six in Zazai Aryub, three each in Janikhel, Ahmadkhel, Lajamangal, and Sayed Karam, two each in Chamkani, Zurmat, and Dand Patan, and one each in Gardez Chara, Wazee Zadran, and Ahmad Aba districts.

Farooqi added that the incomplete buildings included high schools, middle schools, and primary school buildings.

He added work on these buildings was about 85 percent completed on average during the previous government, but since then, the work remained unfinished.

The Director of Education also noted that following the political change, the World Bank halted its activities in Afghanistan and the work already done on these buildings was now facing destruction.

He added that he has shared this issue with Ministry of Education officials to complete the remaining work on these 32 school buildings.

Meanwhile, some residents of Paktia also called for the completion of the construction work on these schools.

Anwar Siddiqi, a tribal leader from Zazai Aryub district, told Pajhwok: "The construction work of five schools in our district, including in the villages of Kuz Ali Sangi, Hassan Al-Gadi, Patlaw, Gulghunday, and Sitya, remains incomplete."

He added that due to the incomplete construction of these buildings, hundreds of students face difficulties during their studies.

Other residents of the province also shared similar concerns and called for the completion of the school buildings in their areas.

According to the Education Department's information, currently 165 government schools in several districts of Paktia lack buildings.

sa/ma