Over 30pc of Bamyan students drop out of school

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): At least 30 percent of students have dropped out of school as a result of multiple problems, the education director said on Thursday.

Mohammad Ayub Awrin told Pajhwok Afghan News the lack of financial resources, teachers, textbooks and standard buildings were the main challenges they faced.

He said they needed 75 percent of textbooks and 57 percent of classrooms. Half of the academic session has passed but students do not have textbooks.

According to him, poverty and an increase in the number of internally displaced people have forced 31 percent of students out of school.

Besides paucity of funds, Bamyan needs 1,500 more teachers according to the director, who said: “Despite such problems and challenges, the people of Bamyan are still interested in learning and families sending children to school.”

About 347 schools existed in Bamyan, where 135,000 students -- 46 percent of them girls -- were enrolled, he informed.

Around 6,000 teachers were needed in Bamyan, where students were currently being taught by 4,500. Of them, 25 percent are female teachers.

Parents blamed the growing drop-out rate on the lack of textbooks and attention to the sector in the province. Abdul Ahmad said: “My son was studying in 8th class nut he left school.

“Despite a lot of pleading by us, he didn’t change his mind,” Ahmad said, adding his son had told him there were no textbooks and they studied under the open sky.

“It is worrying that children are dropping out. Illiteracy will increase if students don’t go turned to school,” remarked Mohammad Sadiq Aliyar, a religious scholar. He said poor teaching was another big problem.

sa/mud