AFGHANISTAN: Education aid – an apparent success story in Faryab Province
KABUL, 29 August 2010 (IRIN): Education in Faryab Province, northern Afghanistan, has never been as good as it is now thanks to the dozens of new schools built by Norway.
Over 120 new schools have been built in the province over the past few years and 40-50 more will follow in the next two years, with Norwegian development assistance.
– Faryab’s educational needs have been met by the new schools, said Gul Agha Ahmadi, a spokesman of the Ministry of Education.
For an estimated population of 800.000 there are 423 state schools, 20 religious seminaries, two teacher training institutes and one vocational training centre in the province, according to the Education Ministry.
Over 40 percent of the total 282.080 students in the province are female.
Faryab is a success story in a country where almost half of the 12.600 schools nationwide do not have a building (classes are held in the open or in tents), officials said.
– We want to concentrate our efforts in a few development sectors. What is important is that Norwegian taxpayers want to see some concrete results, Kåre R. Aas, the outgoing Norwegian ambassador to Afghanistan, told IRIN.
Norway’s flag and other official symbols are not used on the schools which, according to some experts, have helped keep them immune from armed attacks.
Schools, students and teachers have often been attacked and harassed by gunmen allegedly associated with Taliban insurgents.
At least 20 percent of Norway’s 125 million US dollar annual aid budget for Afghanistan goes to Faryab Province, where about 500 Norwegian soldiers are stationed as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
The rest of the aid is spent on projects elsewhere in the country, at the discretion of the Afghan government.
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