GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Residents of Taqchin area in Qarabagh district of southern Ghazni province have built a school building at a personal cost of more than six million afghanis, providing a better learning environment for around 300 students.
The building was inaugurated on Sunday, October 18, in the presence of education officials, local authorities and residents.
Eng. Mohammad Isa Haidari, the project manager, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the school building had been constructed on a 450-square-metre plot, while the entire school compound covered three jeribs of land.
He said the building comprised eight classrooms, an administrative office, a library, a conference hall, an electricity system, a deep well, a clean water reservoir and toilets.
A football field had also been built within the school compound, he added.
Nematullah Tawakuli, a teacher at Taqchin School, said the previous school building had been constructed with public contributions in 1996 but had deteriorated over the years, forcing students to study in unsuitable conditions.
He said the new building would provide students with a better learning environment and help improve their educational experience.
Two students, Mohammad Amin and Mahnaz, told Pajhwok that the old school building had been in poor condition, with wind and rain making it difficult for them to study.
They welcomed the construction of the new building but said they still needed textbooks and other educational materials.
Ghazni Education Director Mawlawi Mir Nasir Ahmad Husseini, speaking at the inauguration ceremony, stressed the importance of public cooperation in education. He said dozens of schools had been built with private contributions in different parts of Ghazni province over the past five years.
He added that around 3,500 teachers had attended professional development seminars this year, while the assessment of teachers’ professional competencies was still under way.
Deputy Minister of Economy for Professional Affairs Dr Abdul Latif Nazari also spoke at the ceremony about the relationship between security and economic development.
He said security had created opportunities for economic activities and investment. He urged residents to help prevent attempts to undermine security and create divisions, stressing the need to maintain unity.
Qarabagh Community Council Chairman Ustad Alawi highlighted the importance of education and knowledge for social development, saying that greater attention to education was essential for society’s progress.
Residents of Taqchin said they had previously implemented several public-interest projects using their own resources.
They said they had built a large bridge, a 30-metre-wide road, a congregational mosque and a madrassa. They added that they planned to establish a permanent health centre in the area in the future.
hz/sa
