Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Herat (Agenzia Fides) - The Afghan minister for education, Mohmmad Hanif Atmar, underlined the importance of the contribution of the Jesuit Refugee Service to promote literacy and education in the country. The minister was speaking at the inauguration of a professional training school at Herat. According to SAR News, among the dignitaries present the minister of commerce A. Farhang, the minister for works of construction M. Yousuf Pashtoon, the Governor of Herat, Najibullah Omar Chill, and the director of education in Kabul, Syed Hussein Anwarii.
The Jesuits took over the school when there were only 67 pupils. Today there are 490, of whom 120 are girls. Jesuit Brother Noel, of the Jesuit province of Pune, and Father A. Saniamo, of the Jesuit province of Andhra, worked hard with the help of friends and benefactors in Germany Switzerland and Austria for the supply of services and adequate structures for apprenticeship and workshop activity. The Minister suggested that the Jesuits could make the school into an autonomous institute to allow the students, at the end of their studies to take part in courses of formation for work.
Education in Afghanistan is fundamental for the development of the country. In recent years the situation has improved: between 2002 and 2004 circa 4.2 million children returned to school. The number of pupils has risen by 4% since the fall of the Taleban regime. Education for girls increased from 3% in 2002 to 30% of enrolled students in 2003.The number of teachers has grown to about 100,000, relatively low compared to the rate of growth in the number of students and classes. The competence of the teachers is limited and less than 15% have specific training.
It should be remembered that 6,780 schools were damaged or destroyed in the war and today are in tents or in the open air; 1,753 schools have been rebuilt and there remain about 5,774 to repair in the coming years as well as infrastructures and services.
Children in remote villages whose education was interrupted at the beginning of the war, children with special needs, returned refugees, ethnic minorities, small communities of nomads like the Kutchis, are in danger of being excluded from progress in education. Problems of access must be solved. Returned refugees from Iran, Pakistan and India, for example had no instruction while in exile. Professional schools are needed to instruct people who are older than school age with courses in ceramics, mechanics, carpentry, agriculture, economic management. Only 28.7% of Afghans can read and write. (K.P.) (Agenzia Fides 20/6/2007; righe 36, parole 480)
