30% less pupils in Helmand province

Published: October 10, 2007, 3:28 am

Tags: non state armed groups, merçay, taliban, irin, education, human rights watch, helmand, school, afghanistan, human security

According to IRIN (the Integrated Regional Information Networks of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)), more than 30,000 pupils attending school in the Helmand province in southern Afghanistan last year were absent in 2007. This represents a reduction of more than 30% in school attendance: This year we have 70,000 students in 90 functioning schools in Helmand province, said Saeed Ibrar Agha, head of the provincial education department.[]In 2002, less than a year after the Taliban were toppled, there were 224 functioning schools all over the province []. Insecurity explains why most schools are shuttered in the Helmand province. In the past 15 months, according to Saeed Ibrar Agha, Taliban insurgents and other armed groups targeting schools as symbols of the government have burned down more than 20 schools and killed 17 students, teachers and other staff.The deterioration of security conditions has led to a flow of children to Lashkar Gah, the

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