Small steps by Afghan National Army, Coalition Forces make big impact for girls education in Herat

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

04.14.2009

Courtesy Story

U.S. Forces Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — A year ago the Qanati girls school was bombed in the middle of the night by Taliban militants who are opposed to educating women. The school, which is located in the Shindand District, Herat province, sustained damage to its back wall, and the staircase leading to the second floor was destroyed.

No one was injured in the blast, but the incident caused the students and teachers to strengthen their resolve.

"In the early morning, all of the students came to school and told us, 'We are coming, no problem, this thing is not going to stop us,'" said the schools' headmaster, Mawdood. Coalition forces paid for the repairs to the school, and a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Afghanistan civil affairs team from a nearby firebase supervised the building's progress.

Other than the improvised explosive device repair work, the school is funded by the Afghan government with minimal support by coalition forces. Mawdood proudly reports that all 35 teachers are paid every month by the Ministry of Education. The headmaster happily relies on the local Afghan national army for security.

"[The ANA] help us a lot in the patrolling. They do a lot of patrolling at night here because the bad people want to close the school and stop the girls from going to school," said Mawdood.

Even though Mawdood does not receive regular help from the coalition forces, he said the girls at the school know if the firebase was not so close they would not be able to have the freedom to attend classes.

"I was taken aback by the number of teachers, the number of students and the kind of classes they [are] teaching ... it's the best school I've seen in the area," said a civil affairs team leader, who was impressed with the curriculum, which includes four languages, math and sciences.

"Students spend the most time studying languages. Farsi, Dari, Pashtu and Arabic," said Mawdood. Even though the school seems to be a model of public education, there are still some issues.

A teacher pulls two sea shells out of her purse and shows them to the coalition soldiers. "I'm a teacher of biology, and I just have this material with me ... it's mine, and when I go to class I teach them about these things, only with what I have with me. We don't have any extra, and we don't have any in the office to give them to take home."

"They aren't messing around, they want maps, periodic tables, muscular structure," said the CA team leader about some of the educational tools the teachers have been asking for. Walking around the school one can see these girls are not just playing at school, they are serious. The work posted on the walls indicates they study a great deal of algebra and physics, as well as advanced writing classes.

One 12th grade girl wants to go to college, but her family does not want her to travel far away from home. They do not have any money to send her anyway. Even with only a 12th grade education, the girl realizes the importance of education.

"I came to school to get skills and learn so I can serve the people of my country," said one Afghan girl shyly biting on her headscarf.

"My sister has a little bit of education, and it has helped her be a better mother," said another student who works at the coalition forces clinic twice a week. "A lot of women just stay home, but education helps them do better at home," she added. She said she would like to wait until she is 22 to get married, but she knows it is up to her family.

"It's important for the family, and it's important for the country," Mawdood said. "One of our teachers is a widow. She has a kid and a family. She is educated, and she works. She [puts] food on the table for her family, so that's why education for women is really important."

Although the headmaster appreciates the help of the coalition forces, he points out that when they come to visit the school there are Taliban watching who use the visit as an argument to the local populace that the school is an American school.

"If you guys come in here I will be happy, but some people outside they don't like it," said Mawdood. He is not threatened by the Taliban, and the families in the area are confident in the security of the school.

The civil affairs team recently donated concertina wire to the school, which has helped improve the overall security of the building.

"It was a small project that had a huge effect. Putting the wire up on the wall, making the girls safer, showing support," said the civil affairs team leader.

The next project in the planning stages is a basketball court for the girls. Mawdood said he wants the girls to have a basketball court in addition to their volleyball court. He would also like a locker room, since the girls cannot wear their athletic shorts to school. For now, however, his girls will continue to enhance their futures with what they have.

• Date Taken: 04.14.2009
• Date Posted: 04.14.2009 15:21
• Story ID: 32389
• Location: KABUL, AF