Nearly 500 Balkh, Baghlan schools without buildings

PUL-I-KHUMRI / MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Local officials in the northern provinces of Balkh and Baghlan say nearly 500 schools remain without proper buildings, forcing students to study under the open sky in harsh winter and summer.

Balkh Director of Education Mohammad Sharif Usmani told Pajhwok Afghan News there were 600 schools in the province, where approximately 550,000 students were enrolled.

He said many of the schools either had no buildings at all or operated in structures that were no longer usable. “In Balkh, we have 223 schools that either have no buildings or whose buildings are unfit for use.”

Usmani said. “As a result, in some areas we have rented houses for hosting classes, while in others, students are studying under tents.”

Since the formation of the current caretaker government, buildings have been constructed for 12 schools in the province, and 24 others have been repaired or renovated. Efforts are ongoing to construct or repair the remaining schools.

Meanwhile, several students and teachers voiced concerns about the lack of infrastructure, saying the absence of proper buildings posed significant challenges.

They are urging the government and aid organisations to prioritise the construction of school buildings.

Ghulam Abbas Wahidi, the principal of the Multidisciplinary High School in Balkh, said his school lacks a complete building and appealed to the government and relevant bodies to address the issue.

Similarly, Ahmad Khalid, a sixth-grade student at Imam FakhruddinRazi School in ChaharBolak district, said they are studying under tents, which causes numerous difficulties during both summer and winter.

According to the Balkh Education Department, in addition to the 600 general schools, there are also 1,050 religious schools in the province, where over 100,000 students are engaged in religious studies.

Likewise, Maulvi Mohammad Noor Azizi, Director of the Education Department in Baghlan, revealed 550 schools existed in the province, with nearly 400,000 students – including over 170,000 girls.

“There are 550 active schools across Baghlan,” he said. “Last year, buildings were constructed for 20 schools. At present, 331 schools have proper buildings, while the remaining 219 do not.

“We have provided tents through our budget and with financial support from various organisations, but we aim to construct permanent buildings instead of relying on tents.”

He said discussions had been held with several organisations to support the school’s construction. Efforts are underway to address the lack of standard classrooms.

Meanwhile, Mullah Saber, principal of Bibi Aina High School in the Shihabuddin area of central Pul-i-Khumri, said students had been studying under trees and beside walls for many years.

“Bibi Aina High School has 1,600 students and requires 24 classrooms, but we have only eight rooms, and they too are substandard,” he said. “We have a few tents, but they are worn out. This year, we are constructing basic wooden shelters for students.”

According to him, the school has repeatedly requested the Education Department to build a proper building for it. But they were informed there was no budget, and no organisation had yet committed to constructing one.

Shah Mahmood, principal of Hussain Khel High School in Pul-i-Khumri, noted teaching in open spaces was significantly more challenging than in a standard classroom.

“In a proper classroom, students are fully focused on their teacher’s lecture,” he argued. “But in open areas, they are easily distracted by their surroundings, leading to waste of time and hindering the effective implementation of lesson plans.”

sa/mud