Wardak residents pool money to construct school building

MAIDAN SHAHR (Pajhwok): “The past wars took away all pleasures from us, so we began everything anew,” said residents of Salar area in Sayedabad district of central Maidan Wardak province said on Sunday.

Nearly two thousands families are living in Salar area where only a middle school exists without a building, they say.

So the residents pooled their money and succeeded in constructing a building for the school on their own piece of land.

Zabardast Zahidi, a resident of Salar area, told Pajhwok Afghan News the 20 years of wars had destroyed their village badly and their children had no proper place to study.

The school in their village named “Da Shaneez Shahidan middle school” had no building.

But as the wars ended, people’s hopes for their lives raised and they built the school building on their own land and cost.

The Kabul-Kandahar highway passes through Salar area there were always clashes which had snatched all pleasures from the residents, Zahidi said.

He said the residents had so far constructed classrooms for up to grade six and their 80 percent work had been completed, however, the residents wanted the government to help them complete the remaining works.

He said: “This area was mostly destroyed during the wars and the residents suffered a lot, but they kept sending their children to school”.

Another resident of the area, Haji Ghani said despite being poor the residents of Salar area wanted their children to get education.

He said: “Our village children are studying in a place where they endure cold or heat during winter and summer”.

Parviz, a teacher and a member of the school building committee, said: “We have 80 percent completed the school building, we want the government to help us in completing the rest of its works”.

He said the government and humanitarian organizations should help the residents complete the school building ahead of coming winter.

Provincial education department officials admired the efforts of the Salar residents and said they would not hesitate to provide help to them.

Maulavi Mohammad Osman Huriat, the head of the Education Department, told Pajhwok they were ready to provide any kind of assistance to complete the Shaneez Shahidano school building.

Huriat said: “According to our plan, we try our best to use available resources to repair or construct school buildings”.

The past wars have affected every sector including education while residents of some areas have constructed school buildings in their areas on self-help basis.

aw/ma

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