Returning children being documented at Torkham

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The Education Department in eastern Nangarhar province has set up a special committee to register children after returning from Pakistan to ensure they continue their education after homecoming.

Education Director Mohammad Sharif Halimi said all-out efforts were underway to provide returning children with education.

He added the committee, operating at the Torkham crossing in collaboration with a charitable organisation and its professional team, was actively working to support this initiative.

The main objective of the special body was to identify and register returnee children, determine their place of residence in Nangarhar and facilitate their enrolment in nearby schools, the official explained.

Dilawar Momand, monitoring and evaluation officer at the Education Department, revealed more than 2,000 boys and girls — previously studying in Pakistan — had been registered in the past week.

He explained: “To simplify the enrolment process, students are no longer required to go through lengthy documentation procedures. Instead, their details are recorded at Torkham, verified on-site by representatives of the Refugee Department and assessed by the Education Department before being admitted to different schools.”

The initiative is supported by the Educational Organisation for Reconstruction and Women of Afghanistan, whose staff voluntarily assist at the border.

Officials from the organisation say the initiative is part of their national duty to reach out to returning refugees and promote education among them.

Kamran Momand, a local representative of the organisation, said they had set up a tent known as the Help Desk at the Omari Camp in Torkham to register incoming refugees and guide them on how to rejoin the education system.

Meanwhile, returnees voiced satisfaction with the establishment of the committee. Ikramullah, a resident of Momand Dara district who recently returned from the neighbouring country, said they were worried about their children’s education. But now he is satisfied that their studies would continue uninterrupted.

Ikramullah, who studied up to 8th grade in Pakistan, acknowledged the guidance and registration process had helped him quickly resume his education and avoid disruption or delays in his learning.

kk/mud