Headline April 08, 2018/ ''' AFOREMENTIONED *TRAGIC* *AFGHANISTAN* '''

''' AFOREMENTIONED 

*TRAGIC* *AFGHANISTAN* '''

*MIGHTY AFGHANISTAN* - has a unique and a glorious history. In three words : ingenious, exhausting and relentless.... when at war.

Landlocked, and when at peace, Afghanistan suffers from a horrible boredom. Nothing seems to warm its blood.  There is practically very little to do, except barter, and trade.

So, so there is nothing, Afghanistan enjoys more, than falling back on a very historic and familiar mix of, hostility and isolationism and subsequent poverty..

CORRUPTION AT EVERY LEVEL :

Despite huge donor investment in Afghan education, corruption remains one of the major causes for its abysmal infrastructure.

The country's education is marred by corruption - whether the smallest procedures of modifying school certificates, the appointments of teachers or the handling of school construction contracts.

A damning report by the country's independent corruption monitor said last year. People seeking a teaching job could pay as much as $1,000 in bribes, nearly five months salary, to secure a position.

Recently, the government has tried to tackle corruption in the hiring of teachers by introducing a  major rigorous process through its civil service commission.

The Education Ministry is the country's largest civil service employer.

Corruption has also been seen as a major reason for discrepancies in enrollment numbers.

The country's previous government had claimed more than 11 million children were in school, with allotted resources often going into the pockets of local and central officials.

But the new government has placed that number anywhere from 6.2 million to little over nine million.

PRESSURE ON TALIBAN CAN WORK:

Across the country, as violence has become the daily reality, elders have tried to figure out local arrangements that would reopen schools.

''The good news is that the Taliban now want schools in their area of control because of local pressure,'' said Dawood Shah Safari, the head of the education department in Helmund Province in the south, where-

As many as 30 school buildings are used as cover by fighters on both sides.

''Villagers keep coming to me with a letters of approval from the Taliban, asking us to open schools.''

In the northwestern Wardug district, which is largely controlled by the Taliban, officials said 16 schools that had been closed for two years were reopening this spring after talks with the group.

The 13 schools in the Nawa district of Ghazni Province in the southeast have been closed since 2001, with no child able to attend, according to Mujib-ur-Rehman Ansar, the provincial director of education.

But recently, local elders persuaded the Taliban to allow the schools to reopen. As many as 25,000 children could attend if the Taliban allow both the boys and girls, Mr. Ansar said.

''I must tell you that there isn't any professional teacher for the students.'' Mr. Ansar said.

''I will hire one to two teachers, and the guy may only be able to read and write, with a ninth or 10th grade education, not much more.''

BUT TALIBAN STILL THREATEN

Last week, as schools prepared to open in the northern province of Kunduz, the official ceremony in the capital city had to be shifted because of Taliban threats.

Only a quarter of Kunduz's city 130 schools have opened their doors to students. The rest, even those under nominal government control, are waiting for the Taliban to approve.

The dispute seems to be over the mechanism of paying the teachers.

The Taliban say they are not opposed education but will keep the schools shut until the government changes the method of paying teachers from bank deposits to cash.

On Saturday, hundreds of teachers marched in Kunduz city, saying they hadn't been payed for five months.

Mawlawi Bismillah, the Taliban's head of education for Kunduz, said the group's position was intended to reduce the headache for teachers, who need to make long trips to the -

Provincial capital to withdraw their money. It's easier if the money is delivered by middlemen, he said.

Government officials say the Taliban are pushing the change because they want a cut.

''They should come and monitor the payment process,'' Mr. Bismillah said. ''In our areas of control, we have very active attention and monitoring.''   

With great appreciation from the World Students Society for contributed reporting for this research for Fahim Abid, Jawad Sukhanyar and Fatima Faizi.

With respectful dedication to the Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all on !WOW! - the World Students Society and Twitter -!E-WOW! - the Ecosystem 2011:


''' Wars & !WOW! '''

Good Night and God Bless

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