25 February 2008 –Over 6 million Afghan children are expected to enroll for the new school year starting on 22 March. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is supporting them by providing learning materials for students and teacher kits for Grades 1-3. In addition, UNICEF plans to support the Ministry of Education in constructing 298 schools this year, training 48,000 teachers and developing textbooks and syllabi. In the previous year, UNICEF has supported the establishment of over 3,600 community-based schools in remote villages, supported the development of new textbooks, and distributed 530 classroom tents and over 4,000 blackboards.

The estimate for children going to school in the coming year is close to 6.2 million, up from 5.7 million last year, according to the Afghan Ministry of Education.  However, despite marked successes in sending children to school, grave challenges remain. UNICEF estimates that up to one third of primary school age children have to work to support their families. Gender disparity remains a problem, with 32 per cent of boys completing primary school versus only 13 per cent of girls. In response, the Afghanistan Girls’ Education Initiative was launched last year, and UNICEF is supporting the Government in its aim to enroll an additional 330,000 girls in school this year.

The United Nations is concerned that the attacks on schools that Afghanistan has seen– and the intimidation in some communities aimed at stopping families sending children school – could undo some of the great achievements in the education sector. Schools of course are a visible sign of reconstruction and progress, and there are those who perhaps fear such progress. The solution to these challenges has to come from the communities themselves, and UNICEF is in continuous dialogue with local leaders, village elders and religious leaders to identify ways in which schools can be protected and education continued. Communities want to see their children get an education, they recognize the value of learning – and that is underlined by the millions of children who are returning to school, or will start school for the first time next month.

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