KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): An advisory mini-jirga involving university teachers, civil society activists and media representatives has been formed to voluntarily work with the education department to improve teaching standards in southern Kandahar province.
The 11-member jirga on Tuesday called on Governor Dr. Humayun Aziz at the governor’s house, where Education Director Abdul Qadir Piwaston was also present.
The meeting decided that the jirga would oversee the education process and would work jointly with the education department in finding solution to problems plaguing the sector, said Samim Khpalwak, the governor’s spokesman.
He said the jirga would meet after every 15 days and would try to address hurdles crippling the education process.
More than 100 schools have been closed across Kandahar province due to insecurity amid complaints about the lack of professional teachers, corruption and several other problems.
Education Director Abdul Qadir Piwaston acknowledged these problems and hoped the newly-formed jirga would help bring about reforms for the sake of improvement in the education process.
Provincial council chief and a member of the mini-jirga, Haji Syed Jan Khakrezwal, said besides all spheres, the current and past conflicts had caused severe damages to the education sector as well.
He said more than 100 schools had been shut due to insecurity and other problems and the operational schools faced numerous problems. The jirga would help identify and resolve problems keeping low the education standard.
Governor Azizi thanked the jirga for voluntarily working to bring about reforms and improvement in the education sector. He urged the jirga to identify individuals interfering in the education process for their personal benefits.
He asked the education director to respect the law and identify powerful individuals who created problems for the education sector. There are about 400 schools in Kandahar where 220,000 students, including 50,000 girls, are studying.
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