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The bell at the Shirpoor School in Kabul is a rusty Soviet-era rocket shell.
Hedayatullah Mardanzai has been its director since 2006. He still makes sure all the students
arrive on time. “In our school we have seven hundred students
in total. Five hundred and twenty-eight men and one
hundred and forty women, those who had no access to education because of poverty and
the civil war.” Afghanistan has already seen vast improvements
in its educational services. Before the fall of the Taliban in 2001 only fifty thousands
of the one million children in school were girls, but since international intervention
that figure has risen to eight million, including three million girls.
But with five million children still out of school, the Afghan government is working hard
to provide the much-needed access to education. “We have a plan to establish two literacy
schools in each province in the whole country. One of these schools should be for professional
skills learning and the other one for literacy. Those who are not educated now they can study
and learn skills such as art, how to use a computer and English language. They can learn
these skills after their work.” Through these programs which include classes
in basic literacy, art, biology and religion, the Shirpoor School has been able to provide
education to men and women up to forty-five years of age.
For some of them this school means an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“My name is Ali. I am thirty-years old and I am a policeman. Because of the civil war
and emigration, I could not continue my education, and now I can do that here. After receiving
a diploma from this school I would like to join the police academy and continue my job.”
“My name is Rita Wajma. I have been working at the Radio Television Afghanistan for twenty-nine
years. I was illiterate, and this is why I enrolled. I hope one day I will be able to
read and write and achieve my goals.” Like the other twenty-nine state-run evening
schools in Kabul, the Shirpoor School constantly struggles to maintain its services.
The demand for education is such that tents contain the overflow of students. The director
says they don’t receive enough financial support from the Government. Beside that,
there are still cultural barriers to break down.
“In our society we have fathers who are illiterate and they have old prejudices. So
we need to change this by teaching them and then they will encourage their children to
be educated.” But with an increasing numbers of girls and
boys in schools in Afghanistan, Ministry of Education’s biggest challenge is currently
facing the lack of trained teachers, essential equipment and lack of infrastructure.
Nevertheless Mr. Mardanzai says prospects for education in the country are looking up.
“We have an Islamic saying that says: ‘study from cradle until the grave’. Therefore,
it is never too late and should learn anytime possible.
This is Alessandro Pavone for the NATOChannel