TIKA Projects in education give hope to Afghanistan’s future

200 thousands students were introduced with schools, 83 schools were built and 200 schools were renovated with 800 projects in a decade from 2005 when Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) started its activities in Afghanistan.

TIKA putting its signature under many important projects in Afghanistan continues its activities with projects carried out in Afghanistan. In this context, 200 thousands students were introduced with school, 83 schools were built and 200 schools were renovated and put into service by approximately 800 projects in a decade from 2005 when TIKA went into action in Afghanistan.

According to existing data; it is known that the number of primary education students is 6.350.734; the number of schools is approximately 11.624 of which 4.384 schools have a building in Afghanistan. The number of schools which need a building is approximately 4.345. The main problems of education are lack of physical environment, lack of skilled teachers; and the main strategies of education are restoration for inadequate physical environment and training skilled teachers. Literacy rate is estimated about 36%.

In this context, TIKA organized over 800 projects in various fields between the years of 2005-2014. In the field of education; 83 schools were built, 200 schools were restored and equipped, and over 200.000 students were provided to have education opportunity. 

Another pilot project in the field of education is Continuing Education Center built in Kabul and opened to service in 2014 which organizes to capacity to enhance training programs for teachers throughout the country. In the Center which has a potential to serve 80 teachers at the same time was equipped to meet all kind of needs of teachers. In the Center whose confined area is 2930 m3; 4 seminar rooms, 96 beds, 48 rooms, conference hall for 180 people, dining hall for 200 people(260m2), cafeteria (128m2), and a kitchen (107 m2) are available. 

In other hand, Turkology Service Building was built in Kabul University in order to improve Turkish which became the second mostly spoken foreign language in Afghanistan. In the building whose confined area is 2390 m2; 6 classrooms, 1 meeting room, 1 conference hall for 157 people, 4 teachers’ rooms, 1 language laboratory, 1 computer laboratory, library, 3 workrooms and 5 teachers’ rooms and lounges are available. All equipments of the building were provided by TIKA.
Kabul Military High School is known as the oldest educational institution which was built in 1935 by Turkey and Turkish commissioned officers were assigned as trainer-advisor between the years of 1940-1950. Foundations of Kabul Military High School Project were laid on the 17th of May 2008 with the participation of a great number of senior guests, 17 new buildings and facilities were built and 6 buildings were repaired within the scope of the project by TIKA. 

The high school reached its present view with full-scale restoration and additional construction projects after 2008. Kabul Military High School which new projects have recently been conducting in cooperation of TIKA is known as the oldest educational institution in Afghanistan and has a feature to meet skilled military staff. All phases of the only military high school of the country were built and put into service by TIKA. 

In addition; construction of Agricultural Vocational High School in Wardak Province and Training Institute in Faryab Province, execution of Aqcha Habibe Kadiri High School in Jowzjan Province and transformation of Wardak Provincial Reconstruction Team (RPT) Buildings into Hamid Karzai High School were performed by TIKA.  
The projects completed in the first six months of 2015 in order to enhance educational system in Afghanistan were to build a Testing Garden for Agricultural Faculty of Kabul University, to construct of computer and biology laboratory for Nazo Ana High School in Kabul, to buy desks and tables for Nazo Ana High School, to construct 40-person computer laboratory for Kabul Abdulhadi Davi High School, to buy 40 blackboards for classrooms of Aziz Afghan Secondary School, to form 100-seat Conference Hall of Aziz Afghan Secondary School, to buy books and stationery equipments for Orphans in Afghanistan, to renovate  Nazo Bibi School in Shewaki Village of Bagrami Province, to form chemistry, physics, biology and computer laboratory with 30 PCs for Kabul Sufi Islam School, to restore Chevki Argandi High School in Paghman, Kabul. 

In other words, temporal solutions were found for children who kept away from education for security purposes or due to geographical conditions. In this context, 220 classrooms-in-tents were supplied for Afghan nomads in Kochi and approximately ten thousands children, on the assumption that two shifts had education, got benefit from the education. For the second six month of 2015; many restoration, renovation and equipment have been planned and have been delivering to put into service upon completion.