News

Foreign Ministry of Lithuania and representatives of the United Nations World Food Programme have already prepared agreement for the project of building 14 new schools in five regions of Ghowr province in Afghanistan. According to the agreement the project will be financed by Lithuania and taken care of by the representatives of the United Nations World Food Programme. Provincial inhabitants will do construction work - they will be paid in food and get all materials necessary for building. Lithuania has more than 700 thousand litas budgeted for the project.

According to Lithuanian Special Mission Assistant Head Tomas Urbonas, Lithuania, as one of Afghanistan donor countries responsible for Ghowr province reconstruction, has set education as one of top priorities. New construction project was coordinated with the Afghanistan Ministry of Education and Ghowr Province Education Department. The two institutions have conducted analysis and pointed out 5 regions most in need of education establishments. 14 new schools will be built there. It should be noted that there over 450 education establishments throughout the province; however, only 10 percent of them operate indoors. The largest number of provincial schools is of those where children study right under the sky.
Furthermore, this year the first stage of enduring primary education programme financed by the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has been launched in Ghowr. It is based on involvement of more educated community members into children education. Preparation of “village teachers” who will teach children of remote settlements to read and write is underway in Ghowr regions of Doleineh and Dowlatyar. The programme is carried out by non-governmental organisation “Catholic Relief Services” highly experienced in education sector in Afghanistan and related to the Lithuanian “Caritas”.
Under request of Lithuania “Catholic Relief Services” conducted analysis of educational needs in the end of 2006 and identified 60 villages in Doleineh and Dowlatyar regions not included into education programme administered by the Afghanistan Ministry of Education. It also prepared conception and activity schedule till 2009 for “village teachers” schools in Ghowr.
Situation in education sector in Ghowr has changed significantly during the two years of Lithuanian Special Mission and PRT operation, an increasingly higher number of inhabitants understand and consider education as a perspective of a better life. Parents put efforts to let their children attend school in order to learn reading and writing.
Lithuanian-led PRT and Special Mission has been operating in Ghowr since June 2005.