KABUL (Pajhwok): Nineteen districts in seven provinces of Afghanistan have no schools for girls while officials assured the residents of the areas to construct girls’ schools and support education.
Local officials said non-availability of women teachers and governments negligence were reasons behind the non-availability of girls’ schools in these districts.
Ghormach district in Badghis province, Bakwa in Farah, Giro, Nawa, Ab Band, Ajristan and Gilan in Ghazni, Dehrauod, Charchino, Chanarto in Uruzgan, Khorak, Arghistan in Kandahar, Nahr-i-Seraj, Sangin, Yaghni, Dishu, Baghran and Bahramcha in Helmand and Doha Manda in Khost were some of the district were primary girls schools also did not existed.
Badghis:
Haji Rozi, the resident of Ghormach district in Badghis province, told Pajhwok Afghan News no girls school had been built in the district so far.
“There is one cultural issue as most people have no interest, there is no woman teacher in the district as well, we want the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) to pay attention in this regard.”
Education Director Mawlavi Mohibullah Ihsan said women teachers’ posts for Ghormach had been approved but when the district joined Fayab province these posts were given to Faryab.
He said since the district had become part of Badghis its women teachers’ posts still remained with Faryab and they tried to get back these positions from Fayab.
“We are trying to build primary girls schools, our efforts are underway, this is our and Ghormach district people’s demand.”
Farah:
Ghulam Sakhi Jamali, a tribal in the Bakwa district of Farah province, said there is no girls’ school in the district since a long time.
He said the local residents wanted girls’ schools to be constructed but the none-availability of women teacher was a major issue.
Farah Education Director Mawlavi Akhtar Mohammad Zaeem said: “There is a primary school called Shora Khana Girls School but it is closed and teachers are not available.” Zaeem said literacy and community classes are available in Bakwa but there are no schools.
GHAZNI:
Mohammad Gul, the resident of Giro district in Ghazni province, said not attention had been paid to their district and there was no development work done.
He said in the past the residents of the district were interest in girls’ schools but not when they the government is unwilling.
Saeedullah, the resident of Nawa district in Ghazni province, said: “We did not told the government to build schools for our girls, if the government does so it will be a positive step.”
Hafiz Taraki, the resident of Band Ab district, said there was no girls’ school in the district. No people are trying to get together and want the government to build schools for girls.
Majeed Khan, the resident of Ajristan district, said during the republic regime schools were built for girls but after sometimes girls were stopped from going to schools due to security issues.
He said now they often asked the Islamic ‘Emirate of Afghanistan’ (IEA) to build girls schools. He said the education Department pledged to build girls schools.
Momin, the resident of Ghazni Gailan district, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) made literacy classes for some girls but these classes are also closed now. There are no girls’ schools in Gailan.
Education Department Spokesperson Qari Sibghatullah Ahmadi said efforts were on to build primary girls’ schools in these districts and they also held talks with the ministry in this regard.
He said efforts were underway to arrange literacy girls’ classes till sixth with the help of UNICEF, Care International, SCA and other supporting organizations.
URUZGAN:
Abdul Rahman Ali, the resident of Dihraud district, said there was no girls’ school in their district.
He said: “Education is compulsory on man and women and it is a humanitarian right so relevant authorities must ensure all are provided this right, we want relevant authorities to at least provide education opportunity till class 6th.”
Abdul Karim, the resident of Uruzgan’s Charchino district, said there was no girls school in Uruzgan as well.
“The fact that now security situation had improved and there is an opportunity for development and progress so we want relevant authorities to facilitate our girls get education,” he said.
Sharifullah, the resident of Chanarto district, said there was no girls school in their district.
“Since a long time we have no girls school, previous governments paid no attention in this regard. We want the IEA to build school for girls in this district.”
Uruzgan Governor Ihsanullah Hammas said the non-availability of girls school in three districts of Ghazni was something they inherited from the past government.
He said the Governor Office and the Education Department launched efforts to activate education centres in these districts.
Kandahar:
Haji Saadullah, a tribal elder in the Arghistan district of Kandahar province, said around 12 years back girls went to schools but due to the non-availability of textbooks, teachers and existence of other problems girls’ schools were closed.
He said the residents of this district want girls’ schools to be reopened.
Pir Mohammad, the resident of Khorak district, said there was no girls’ school in the district and they wanted authorities to open schools for girls.
He said in the past girls schools reopened often but closed again.
He said some people in the district did not want to send their daughters to school but most people wanted their girls to get education.
“In the past schools sometimes remained opened and sometimes closed, sometimes even boys schools remained closed, there were fighting and who remembered the education but now most people wanted schools for their children.”
Mawlavi Hassan Shah Agha Haqqani, deputy head of the Education Department, said in most other districts there were no girls’ schools but they are reopened in the past two years. He also pledged to reopen girls’ schools in Afghanistan as well.
“We plan the reopening of schools in Arghistan in line with public views, we reopened schools in most districts where and approved personnel and teachers for them, we are trying to resolve the issue of human resource.”
Helmand:
Wali Mohammad, the resident of Nahr-i-Seraj district said girls schools were opened in their district in the past but they were destroyed due to conflict.
“All our girls are deprived of education, if we get school or madrassa it will be good for us,” he said.
Mohammad Shoiab, the resident of Sangin district in Helmand, said there are 12 boys schools in the district but there was no single girls school.
He said during the past government a girl school was constructed but since its inauguration boys are studying there. Akhtar Mohammad, the resident of newly created Baghna District, said there was no girls’ school in their district. He said the residents of Baghna district wanted their girls to go to school but there is no school and no female teachers. Mohammad Jumma, the resident of Dishu district, Abdul Wali, the resident of Bahramcha district and Akhtar Mohammad the Baghran district said that there were no schools for girls in their districts.
Akhtar said the residents of Baghran did not want their girls to go to school.
Education Department Official Shah Wali Sherzad said there were no girls schools in the Nahr-i-Seraj, Sangin, Baghni, Baghran, Dishu and Bahramcha districts but efforts were underway to build primary schools for girls in these districts.
Khost:
Haji Nik Badsha Zadran, the resident of Du Manda district, said there was no girls’ in their district.
“During the past regime authorities often identified places for the construction of girls’ schools but there was no practical work conducted.”
He said nobody in their district was against girls’ education. Hazrat Momin, deputy District Education Department Head, said there was no girls’ school in Du Manda district and the reason is the negligence of past government. “We give plane to the Education Department for the construction of girls’ schools construction, we are given assurances that our plan would be sent to the ministry and it will have positive outcome,” he said.
This comes that after regime change the IEA closed girls schools above class 6th and later also announced the closure of female universities. The IEA government also barred women work for foreign NGOs and UN.
19 districts in 7 provinces sans girls’ schools
