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B Capt. Michael Newman
5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment
SHAH WALI KOT, Afghanistan – Have you heard your parents or grandparents talk of the days when they went to school? They walked miles to and from. There were no buses and they definitely didn’t get to go shopping for fancy backpacks that displayed their favorite cartoon characters. With their hardships long remembered they make jokes and nag from time to time.
For children in the Shah Wali Kot region, this is not a joke; this is their life. There has been talk of building a school at the SWK district center for years. It is now a reality thanks to hard work, planning and dedication of Habib Ullah, the SWK minister of education.
“This is a great day for the children, [and] a great day for the teachers and parents. This is a long time coming and I am very pleased to be here,” said Ullah.
Lt. Col. David Raugh, commander of 5th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stopped by the new school to congratulate all those who helped on a job well done.
“This is their accomplishment, their efforts,” Raugh said. “We are really proud of them and hope that we see more schools like this in Shah Wali Kot.”
The minister of education and soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 5th Sqdn., 1st Cav. Regt., had reason to celebrate the occasion as 19 children arrived bright and early with smiles and excitement knowing that they were the first to attend the new school Sept 18.
Children from ages five to 13, some traveling up to five miles, came with bookbags in hand, ready to start after a long summer. They were not only excited for the first day of school but had smiles on their faces when the soldiers welcomed them and exchanged handshakes and high fives.
Some of the children knew a little English and demonstrated their knowledge proudly. They counted in English and said, “How are you?” as well.
Ullah introduced five new teachers who will work full time at the school. They gave a tour of the new school, and were proud of establishing a new school right next to the SWK district center.
Mohammad Gul, the SWK national director of security chief, said he was more than happy to serve the people of SWK by volunteering his time to teach the children.
There was also discussion of providing an after-school program that would allow teachers to give literacy classes to adults. That topic caused a lot of excitement and is something Ullah is going to pursue further.
“Education is the key to building better communities and providing better jobs for our citizens— teachers here today want to be a part of it,” Ullah said.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2011 10:53 |
| Story ID: | 77362 |
| Location: | SHAH WALI KOT DISTRICT, AF |
| Web Views: | 211 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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