TIRIN KOT (Xinhua): A two-year-old child was reported to have been affected by poliovirus despite receiving anti-polio vaccination in Afghanistan’s southern province of Uruzgan, a local official said Monday.
The case was found affecting Nazir Ahmad, a baby-boy in Charchino district of the restive province, where he received five times anti-polio immunization, Khan Agha Miakhil, director of provincial public health department, told Xinhua.
The ongoing insurgency and conflicts have been hindering the efforts to stamp the infectious disease out in the mountainous country, he said.
The latest confirmed polio cases have risen to two so far this year while 20 polio cases were registered in the country last year, according to health officials.
Beatings still a routine reality for schoolchildren
KABUL (Agencies): A number of families ask the ministry of education to prevent those teachers who beat the students, otherwise, their offspring will be desponded of going to schools. They say that schools are to get educated not beaten up.
They added if serious attention is not paid in this regard, they will not allow their children to go to schools anymore.
“Unfortunately, in a number of schools, teachers beat the students, a move that causes the students to be desponded of going to schools, a student mother, Sharifa said.
She added in my opinion, when a student has any problem, the teacher should share that with his/her parents.
She says that unfortunately, still this problem persists in state-run schools, but we ask the ministry of education’s in-charges to address it.
Another resident Lutfullah asked the relevant organs to hold a program at least twice in a month and ask the students how much they have been teased over the period, adding those who commit violence against students should be questioned.
At the same time, expressing concern over violence against students, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission asked for taking serious steps in the respect.
Calling the reports on violence against students shocking, head of the commission Sima Samar asked for serious measures before that.
She added there is not any law to prevent violence against students in schools which is very concerning.
Meanwhile, the commission stresses that many families have decided not to let their children to attend schools, thus, if the organs concerned don’t pay heed to this issue, such cases would get increased.
In a country ravaged by decades of war, tyranny and misrule, children are the most vulnerable people in the country, a number of whom go to school end up having to work at the same time. This comes as recently, a number of media released video footages on beating students in schools.
The ministry of education says that it is working on an urgent policy to prevent students’ sexual abuse in schools.
Deputy minister of education Mohammad Ibrahim Shenwari told media it is an unacceptable move in education system and is in contrary with our religion and culture, therefore, we have decided to work on an urgent policy in this regard.
He assured that the new policy would help prevent such incidents. Therefore, the ministry of education is expected to prevent violence against students in schools, or they will leave schools and change into vulgar people.
