new schools for deh sabz An education initiative in Kabul, Afghanistan

Quality Primary Education Project in Deh Sabz district, Kabul province | April 2013 | Funded by Save the Children Itlay | Case study in text and photos |

New classrooms

In addition to construction of 15 new classrooms in three schools in different parts of Deh Sabz, Save the Children also has provided 30 Accelerated Learning Classes for children who didn’t have the opportunity to go to school, covering 900 students.

The projectIn 2009, Save the Children started supporting Quality Primary Education Project in Dehsabz district located 30 km outside of Kabul city. The project worked to ensure access to education for returnees and internally displaced people in the area and focused on providing an improved learning environment for students. It included establishing 30 Accelerated Learning Classes covering 900 children to study until grade four and then to get transferred to formal schools, distributing 960 student-, teacher- and classroom-kits as well as 5400 text books.

Additionally to ensure a safe educational environment for children, Save the Children built 18 classrooms, four latrines and two boundary walls in 5 formal schools in the area. One well with water pump was installed and another well was repaired to ensure clean drinking water for the children.

As a part of the project teacher trainings were conducted for 175 school teachers on different topics such as child friendly classrooms/schools/home environment, also on child rights and other topics. Furniture and stationary was provided to different schools in Dehsabz and PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations), student councils and CEC (Com-munity Education Committees) were also established to help improve the status of education status in Dehsabz.

“I first joined this school as a teacher 11 years ago. The school looked like a desert. There were no boundary walls and no classrooms. We were using tents as classrooms in hot summers and cold winters. It was very difficult. Because a real physical school did not exist, people were not interested in sending their daughters here. Back then we only enrolled 30 students per year. And even those students were discouraged by difficult conditions. Only seven teachers were teaching at the school at that time.

During the last three years, that I have been the principle of this school I have observed that as a result of the support of Save the Children the face of the school has changed dramat-ically. We have boundary walls, enough classrooms, furniture, laboratory and a library. Consequently, the number of students is now 1800, with a rate of 250 newly enrolled per year. We have 20 teachers, all female except for one. Girls from different parts of Deh Sabz come to the Tarakhil Girls High School and are very happy about the new changes. Girls go through all 12 years of school and graduate from here which is something new in this community. There are very few drop-outs. The families of the girls are very supportive of their education now that they feel the school is a safe environment for their daughters.

As a principle of this school and as an educator I am optimistic about the future of education in Deh Sabz. The biggest challenges here are tackled. Almost everyone living in Deh Sabz has access to education. Of course there are things that can be added. We still would like to have computers in our schools for students to learn and use, and more classrooms are always good to accommodate the rising number of enrollment each year.”

Liza Popalzai, principle

Mariam, 13, student

“I started getting an education in an Accelerated Learning Class. Back then my father was against me going to school. He did not want me to study. After talking to him many times and having my classmates and teachers talk to him he was eventually convinced. He liked that I was studying in the house of a community member along with other girls.

I went back home every day talking to my father about what I had learned and he seemed happier about allowing me to study. When I was in grade 5, I was transferred to Ghazi Abad school to continue my education. Here I sit in a proper classroom with chairs and desks. I like it very much. Sometimes I do not have enough money to buy my books and stationary but the school helps me with that as well.

Before I was able to study, I was looking at a different future for myself. I thought I would remain illiterate the way my mother is. But now it is different, I know that I will complete my studies and work to make a good life.I am very happy with everything in school, however I hope one day we have a cricket team in our school and I am the captain. I like cricket very much.”

Malang Atayi, district education director

“The status of education in Deh Sabz compared to other dis-tricts of Kabul is relatively good. More boys and girls have ac-cess to education and there is a school or a learning center even in the furthest parts of Deh Sabz. This is mainly due to the good security conditions, community support, and the support of funding organizations.

Currently there are 23,000 students in Deh Sabz; 9000 of which are girls. We have about 35 schools which include, high schools, secondary and primary schools.

The major challenges we face, still include a lack of teachers, a lack of classrooms, of schools and of boundary walls in some parts of Deh Sabz. However, the good news is that these chal-lenges are gradually being tackled, also with the support of Save the Children. We now have 15 new classrooms in three schools in different parts of Deh Sabz. Additionally, Save the Children has provided 30 Accelerated Learning Classes for chil-dren who didn’t have the opportunity to go to school.

They cover 900 students and have served as a good opportunity for children with no access to education to catch up on missed education and join the regular schooling system. All these changes have led to a renewed interest in education within the community. In some parts the communities themselves guard their schools and take care of them.I foresee a very good future for Deh Sabz in terms of education.”

More schools, more students

Written by: Zubaida Akbar

Photographs by: Mohammad Zubair Shairzay

www.savethehildren.net

© 2013 Save the Children

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