QRCS delivers educational aid to schools in Afghanistan

The project involved providing 480 double seats and desks, 49 classroom tents, 955 school bags with stationery, and 520 kits of teaching aids for five schools.

Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has inaugurated the delivery of educational aid to schools in Ghor Province, Afghanistan, as part of Phase 3 of the project to support education in remote areas of Afghanistan, at a total cost of $343,521. The project involved providing 480 double seats and desks, 49 classroom tents, 955 school bags with stationery, and 520 kits of teaching aids for five schools. Also, a teacher training center was constructed and furnished in Firuzkoh, the capital of Ghor. Moreover, a teacher training team of six trainers was created, and 110 teachers in Ghor and Kapisa Provinces received capacity-building training to improve their teaching performance and enhance the quality of education. This phase is estimated to benefit 955 students and 116 teachers in Firuzkoh. It was executed in partnership with the Afghan Welfare Society, the Ministry of Education’s offices in Ghor and Kapisa, the provincial governments, and local community leaders. A public ceremony was held to launch the educational aid distributions and lay the foundation stone of the teacher training center. Earlier, all logistics were arranged to transport the materials from Kabul, the country’s capital, to the capital of Ghor, in coordination with the competent provincial authorities. In Afghanistan, the education system suffers poor infrastructure and lack of basic educational resources. Despite the significant progress made in the last few years, it remains one of the world’s weakest education systems. Many challenges are yet to be resolve. Only 50% of school-age children attend schools, an around three million have no access to education, mostly in remote, mountainous, insecure, or unstable areas. Hundreds of schools are either destroyed or closed. There are insufficient numbers of schools, teachers, and textbooks. Most schools work for multiple shifts, and teacher qualification is of low standard. Therefore, the project is an essential support to the government efforts to meet the educational needs and create a stimulating schooling environment, particularly in the remote and underdeveloped areas of the country. Generally, education is key to development and stability. Asia Mohamed Amir, a 6-grader, said she was so happy and hoped that QRCS’s aid would enable her and other girls to attend school in quiet and favorable conditions, instead of having to sit in the sun heat or rain. She wished to find pure drinking water at the school, and to have a school building one day. Amanullah Mohamed Rahim, a senior teacher, said he and all teachers and students felt happy with the new educational provisions, such as the tents, seats, and desks. He thanked Qatar and QRCS and called for more aid in education and other sectors for the population of the province and elsewhere in the country. Mohamed Ayoub Mayar Mohamed Wazir, a parent and member of a parent council, saw this project as an elevated tangible example of humanitarian and development assistance that addresses the needs of people. According to him, the townspeople were very glad of all such educational supplies. The girls cheered as they sat on the new seats inside the tents, carrying their bags and stationery, full of enthusiasm to pursue their education. Abdul-Zahir Faidzadah, Governor of Ghor, especially thanked Qatar, QRCS, and the Afghan Welfare Society. He said QRCS was one of the most active international humanitarian providers in Ghor. He commended the project’s mechanism of delivery of aid to the eligible beneficiaries in person, even though the schools were remote and inaccessible. Meer Ahmed Husaini, Education Director in Ghor, stated, “This is Phase 2 of educational aid for the province. In Phase 1, four schools were covered. This time, another three are reached out to. The intervention not only secures the basic educational needs, but also pays attention to capacity-building for female and male teachers, especially in the earlier grades”.