Despite huge spending, Kabul schools lack basic facilities

KABUL, renovation and rehabilitation of schools.

Pajhwok Afghan News reporters visited some schools in Police District (PD) 4^th, 15^th and 17^th. They found out that some schools were in terrible condition and students did not gave even textbooks and studied in low standard classrooms.

These schools lacked the drinking water facility and had no boundary walls. The Mohammad Anwar Bismal High School 1, situated in the Khwaja Bughra Square, is one of the many schools visited by eam of Pajhwok Afghan News. The schools are faced with similar problems.

The Anwar Bismal High School in the Hesa-i-Soyem area of Khairkhana, is another example of pupils studying inside containers. There are no chairs or desks there and student have to sit on the floor.

Mohammad Sohail, a student of the Anwar Bismal High School, said: “The containers where we study are hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Sitting on the floor for hours is difficult for us.”

He asked the ministry concerned to provide the required facilities and thereby help create a friendly environment for them.

Belqis Rahimi, a teacher at the school, said: “Teaching in containerised classes isn’t affordable. In summer and on rainy days, it is extremely difficult. We have to send students home because roofs leak and rainwater falls upon them.”

She said that the absence of proper facilities and low-standard construction were behind the backwardness of the education sector.

Bahadurpur, director of the Anwar Bismal High School, said his school was constructed 12 years back and had 24 classrooms. Over 8,000 students attend the school but due to lack of classrooms, students have to study in containers.

He acknowledged the lack of standard classrooms, white boards, desks and chairs badly affected the learning ability of students and they could not get things done properly.

Khwaja Boghra is another High School in the 15^th police district. It has 2,400 students, 75 teachers and 23 non-standard classrooms.

Each classroom has the capacity for 20 students but 40 to 50 students are studying in them with no chairs and they sit on dirty carpets.

Abdul Walid Wahid, the Khwaja Bughra High School headmaster, said their school was founded 34 years back and they were paying 43,000 afghanis per month in rent of its building over the past seven years.

He said he had shared issues the school and students faced with the education department several times but to no avail.

“The classrooms are small with little space for chairs and desks while as the number of students is high,” he added.

Noorullah, a class 10^th student, told Pajhwok: “Our school building is ruined and it has no doors, chairs and desks and we get tired sitting on dirty and wet carpets.”

Fahima Lodin, teaching manager at the school, said: “In Kabul city, several schools are run in rented buildings which have no facilities and the president had earlier announced constructing 2,700 new schools.”

On March 26, President Ashraf Ghani rang a school bell to mark the launch of new educational year. He had said work on construction of 1,200 schools was underway while funds for construction of 2,700 school buildings had been arranged.

“Kabul is the central capital, when schools here are like this what will be the situation of schools in provinces? We have no access to drinking water, we lack buildings, the condition of classrooms is worse and students study in the open and many times we are moved to mosques for lessons,” Lodin added.

“The water tanker brings drinking water to the school and only fill one barrel for 2,400 students which is not enough, we hope the authorities would resolve this issue,” she added.

Meanwhile, Shahrak-i-Zakireen High school in Khairkhan area also lacks classrooms and uses 12 containers as classrooms.

Female students of the school said they became ill sitting on wet ground. They said they also lacked textbooks, standard classrooms and playground.

Abdul Hamid Sikandari, principal of the school, told Pajhwok the school had been constructed in back 2010 and had more than 5,000students. However, this high school is still without furniture.

He added they provided drinking water to students and stff at their  personal expense through pipes from nearby residential houses.

Nooria, a student of 3^rd class who sat on a plastic spread in the class, said: “Our classroom windows open towards the bazaar. People frequently throw stones and other things into our classroom.”

She urged the authorities concerned to address their issues at the aerialist possible.

The Ustad Misbah High Xchool in the Paroja area of Taimani neighbourhood in the 4^th police district of Kabul has been faced with a similar fate This school has been without drinking water and textbooks.

Principal Lailuma Qadiri said the school had been constructed some 13 years back and currently had more than 4,500 students and 140 teachers. She alleged 2.5 acres of the school land had been grabbed by powerful individuals. The schools has 4.5 acres of land

Due to the lack of a boundary wall walls, she recalled, some gangs entered the school last year and stabbed to death a student.

Meanwhile, Noorzia Nihzat, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education (MoE), confirmed the issues. Efforts were underway to resolve the problems soon, the official said, adding they got on rent some schools buildings.

Around 6,000 new buildings will be constructed in compliance with President Ashraf Ghani’s orders. As many as 2,700 would start functioning this year, she said. Some 50 million textbooks would be printed and distributed, she concluded.

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