Nearly half of schools in southern Helmand province have no buildings, with students forced to study in rented houses, the education director said on Saturday.
Daud Shah Safari told Pajhwok Afghan News hundreds of schools in the province had been without buildings over the past few years. Of the total 421 schools in Helmand, 274 lack buildings, according to Safari.
The director said he had discussed the issue with higher-ups at the Ministry of Education and the governor’s house. Efforts were underway to construct buildings for 100 schools, he added.
“They have planned providing tents for the schools lacking buildings,” Safari said, adding 76 schools had been closed due to insecurity in the province. Students of insecure areas are deprived of education.
Naqibullah, a student at the Adam Khan School in Greshk district, said: “In rain and war, our school stays shut. We are taught for a few months during the entire academic year.”
Habibur Rahman, a teacher at the Eng. Abdul Matin School in Lashkargah, acknowledged dozens of schools in the province had been without buildings.
Abdul Jalil Mujaddedi, a civil society activist, told Pajhwok the lack of school buildings left a negative impact on the education process in the province.
