Teachers' Shortage Leaves Children Of 6 Nimroz Villages Without Education

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): In six villages of northwestern Nimroz province, the solo primary school has been closed since last four years due to the shortage of teachers, leaving most children without education and others forced to travel long distances to attend school.

Education Department says steps have been taken to address the problem and that a formal staffing structure for the school may be considered next year.

Pajhwok's correspondent spoke with residents of the villages of Alim Khan Shoro, Abdul Hamid, Haji Mir Hamza, Haji Mohammad Sharif Khan, Haji Walidad, and Haji Gul Mohammad in the Sireg Shoro area of Zaranj. All complained about the closure of the only primary school in the area, Alim Khan Shoro Primary School.

In the southern part of Zaranj city, six interconnected villages have an inactive school due to the absence of teachers. Children are either completely deprived of education or must travel long distances to reach another school.

Haji Mir Hamza, head of the village council of Haji Mir Hamza village, told Pajhwok that the school, which once served children from six villages, has been closed for four years, leaving nearly all children without access to formal education. He said about 70 families live in the area, with dozens of children out of school; only a few attend nearby mosques to study religious subjects.

According to him, four years ago two teachers were teaching about 50 students, both boys and girls, but the school is now closed due to the lack of teachers.

He expressed concern, saying:“The school is officially registered with the government but remains closed, and most residents are poor and cannot transport their children eight kilometers to the nearest school in Maldaran village”.

Mohammad Juma, a resident of Alim Khan Shoro, explained they approached the education department six months ago to reopen the school, but it remains inactive.

He added that villagers cannot afford to pay teachers themselves. Only seven children currently walk daily to the Maldaran school; most families do not allow their children to make the long journey.

He says:“I wish the education department would provide us with a teacher so our own school can reopen. The children cannot travel this long distance-it takes about two hours on foot.”

Voices of children out of school

Basir, a 9-year-old from Haji Mohammad Sharif Khan village, added he loves reading and writing and dreams of becoming a teacher, but attends a nearby mosque because the school is closed.

He is interested in reading and writing and added:“I love studying and ask the head of the education department to reopen our school. In the future, I want to become a teacher.”

However, the child said that he goes every day to the mosque near his home to learn religious studies.

Asadullah, 12, from Abdul Hamid village, collects animal dung and firewood all day so his mother can bake bread. He hopes the school will reopen so he can study and have a good job in the future.

Yousuf, 11, from Mir Hamza village, said if he studies, he wants to become a doctor and asked the education authorities to reopen their school.

Mohammad Younis, 10, from Alim Khan Shoro, enrolled in the Maldaran school but dropped out due to the long distance. He now studies at the local mosque and asked the government to reopen their village school.

Education expert: Education is a right

Education expert Professor Fazl Ahmad Khan said access to education is the right of every citizen and governments must use all means to provide educational opportunities.

He suggested employing accelerated education teachers with financial support from organizations like UNICEF as an urgent and practical solution.

“Even temporary teachers with lower qualifications could be used to prevent children from missing out on education”: he explained.

Response from Education Department

Mawlawi Gul Ahmad Haqqani, head of the Education Department, confirmed the school is inactive due to a lack of teachers and said discussions are underway with the Ministry of Education to approve staffing for the next academic year.

He noted that dozens of schools in deprived areas of the province have been built or renovated over the past three years.

The provincial education department has always tried to serve the children of this land and to provide educational opportunities for children in every part of the province.

Mawlawi Abdul Ghani Shafiq, deputy for teaching affairs, said the school is in a remote area about 20 kilometers from the city. He cited nationwide staff reductions, low salaries that discourage teachers from working in remote areas, and the absence of educated locals as key reasons for the closure.

According to him, efforts are ongoing to send teachers from other areas and to reactivate the school.

“Another problem is that there is no educated person in this area; we do not even have a sixth-grade graduate to hire as a teacher, let alone someone who has graduated from ninth or twelfth grade. That is why we are trying to send teachers on assignment from other areas.”

He said that the Education Department is in contact with the Ministry of Education and is making efforts to reactivate the school.

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