PRT Zabul, Afghans launch all-boys school

Village elders pray during the opening of the Sheik Mati Boy’s High School Feb. 25 in Qalat city of the Zabul Province in Afghanistan. The Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team played a key role in this accomplishment by providing the necessary funds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nancy Hooks/Released)

PRT Zabul, Afghans launch all-boys school

Afghan children run towards the opening of the Sheik Mati Boy's High School Feb. 25 in Qalat city of the Zabul Province in Afghanistan. Most families live in communities located quite a distance from the city. The new dormitory can house 240 boys, making school a possibility for them. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nancy Hooks)

PRT Zabul, Afghans launch all-boys school

The opening of the Sheik Mati Boy’s High School shows the accomplishments the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the people of the Zabul province have made Feb. 25 in Qalat city. The newly-built dormitory can house 240 students. Additionally, the campus boasts a dining facility, a small mosque, soccer fields and large classrooms. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nancy Hooks/Released)

PRT Zabul, Afghans launch all-boys school

Afghan children attend the opening ceremony of the Sheik Mati Boy’s High School Feb. 25 in Qalat city of the Zabul Province in Afghanistan. Two-hundred forty local boys will attend the long-awaited boys high school, and can live in the dormitory. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Nancy Hooks/Released)

PRT Zabul, Afghans help bring education to Qalat

Published March 5, 2010
By Tech. Sgt. Renni Thornton
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan -- The American Provincial Reconstructive Team in Zabul, along with Brigadier Gen. Guy Walsh, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing commander and other key wing leaders, joined Provincial Governor Mohammad Ashraf Naseri and community leaders as they gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 25 of the newly-built all-boys Sheik Mati High School and dormitory. The 240-bed facility will be home to young men as they attend the school built in 2009.

Governor Naseri, who officiated the event, said he is pleased with the recent successes in the community. "We are excited and the community is very receptive to have the school," said Governor Naseri. "Boys can now come from far distances to attend school."
He also talked about the continued emphasis on education and healthcare for the entire community.

"The boys will begin to move in within the next 30 days and will begin at the start of the school session," said Zabul Line Minister of Education Abdul Nabi Wadan.In the past, the region has experienced difficulty in bringing qualified higher level teachers to remote communities consisting of no more than two or three dozen families.

Forty Afghan teachers will facilitate the year-round curriculum.

According to the Afghan Ministry of Education, this new boarding high school has the potential of increasing literacy in the province by 10 percent.

He also highlighted the importance of the boarding school to elevate the education level of the most remote districts that have never had access to high school-level education.

This statistic is particularly significant when one considers that the current estimated literacy rate among males is only 11percent and among women only one percent, said Lt. Col. Andy Veres, Commander, PRT team.

The dorm boasts four beds per room with a capacity to house eight boys per room. The facility boasts a spacious dining facility, a small mosque, large soccer field and large classrooms.

The entire project was estimated at $6 million.

"We are proud of the work the U.S. PRT has done," said Governor Naseri.
"They have done an excellent job this year. They have put a lot of commitment into the school buildings. We are very pleased with the work we have done together." General Walsh said being able to attend the event was great.

"It is a great honor to be able to attend this event," the general said. "On behalf of RC-South, we congratulate the work of the PRT team and the people of Zabul. It is great to see such teamwork accomplish so much."