Access to education for girls and boys
Background:
In Afghanistan only about 3% of the girls in rural areas go to school. One reason is that the way to school is often very long. Too long for girls. Other then the boys they are not allowed to leave their villages alone. This means they can´t go to a far away school.
This situation prevails in Bedmoschk and the surrounding villages: The boys go a long way to two distant schools. Girls can´t go to school. Generally education is a high value in the area. For that reason the village elders mentioned that they wished for a small school up to third grade in Bedmoschk. The plot of land was contributed by the Achtari family. The building has five classrooms, this allows further expansion. School started with two classes and in 2006 the third will begin..
Participation of the village population:
In order to establish the school in the area of Bedmoschk on the long run it is very important that the villagers participate and contribute from the beginning.
The villagers provided the space and the stones for the construction of the school. They contributed to the construction work by digging the trench for the foundations . And they will dig a well of about 25m depth. The hand pump for the well and the surrounding bricks will come form the projects budget.
The situation at the moment:
a) School building
The basic construction work is completed. Materials (cement, briks, sand etc.) had to be brought from Ghazni as well as from Kabul. Prices have gone up a lot.
Five toilets and a surrounding wall for the whole complex are built.
Classes are held in the school building even though some work still needs to be done.
90% of all doors and windows have been installed and the interior of the ground floor has been plastered. Because of winter all construction work had to be stopped, but in spring the rest of the building will be completed.
Winter is also the time of school holidays, the new term beginns is march.
front left: school building
front right: Centre of Renewable Energy (January 2006)
(April06)
b) Classes
It is a mixed school for boys and girls. Next year we want to start third grade.
At the moment two teachers are giving classes, Mr Same at the same time acts as director of the school.
The number of students is still rising, they are already more then 100.
Neighbouring villages are impressed. From Petawak (the next village) a group of five girls come every morning.
In the second grade most students are girls, only six boys . And the girls are keen to continue school.
CARE International is very interested in the school and supports the students with exercise books, pencils, blackboards and books. CARE even offered further training for the teachers.
The village population has a very positive attitude towards the school .
c) Equipment
Now the pupils have chairs. 100 chairs with a broad back were ordered and transported to Bedmoschk.
Care International donated two blackboards. Part of the school books were organised.
The school was built in cooperation with Verein Afghanischer Ingenieure in Deutschland (VAIT), Deutsch Afghanischen Initiative (DAI) and Friedens Initiative (FI)
Vision:
We want to create a partnership between the primary school in Bedmoschk and a school in Germany. This shall build a space for intercultural exchange and shall help to support the school in Bedmoschk on the long run.
In winter there is no school. In these school holidays the building could be used for a computer course.
In march 2006 the third grade will be held for the first time.
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