Elementary school Khoja Mohammad Parsa
Completed
Khoja Mohammad Parsa Primary School is located in one of the poorest districts of the Afghan capital Kabul. The school’s 600 or so pupils come from economically weak and socially underprivileged families. The school building and the sanitary facilities are in such a desolate state that the children were evacuated to a neighboring school due to the risk of collapse. But even there, a dangerous route to school and a lack of space affect the quality of learning and attendance rates. Together with our local partner OASE, we now want to build new classrooms and sanitary facilities for Mohammad Parsa Primary School. In addition, the construction measures are supplemented by hygiene workshops and further training for teachers. In order to ensure not only the environment, but also the quality of learning for the children.
INITIAL SITUATION
Around 350 girls and 250 boys, a total of around 600 pupils aged 6-13, are registered at Khoja Mohammad Parsa Primary School in Kabul. The school is located in one of the poorest districts of Kabul. The district is less developed and modernized than the new town. There is only a partial electricity and water supply.The majority of residents in the old town come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with a low level of education. If they are able to pursue a regular job, they are mainly employed in manual trades, followed by simple traders and a few government employees. As in other districts of Kabul, child labor is part of everyday life.
The school building of the elementary school is located in a former residential building that was donated to the Ministry of Education. The building and its latrines are in a desolate state. As a result, the school was evacuated five years ago due to the risk of collapse and has been empty ever since.Due to financial constraints, the Ministry of Education has not yet rebuilt or renovated the buildings, nor are any construction measures planned for the future.
At the moment, the students are accommodated at Aryana High School and are taught in the classrooms there.In order to maintain lessons at Aryana School for all students, lessons are not taking place in two shifts as usual, but in three. This means less teaching time for the respective shifts overall. As more new pupils tend to join the school every year, the already limited space is becoming less and less sufficient. In addition, the journey to school includes the life-threatening crossing of an expressway.This poses an unacceptable risk, especially for the younger pupils.
PROBLEM AND SOLUTION
After several on-site visits to the school by our colleague and discussions with the principal, the teaching staff and some of the pupils, it became clear that the school urgently needed support. The core of the project is the construction of 12 classrooms, 4 offices, 6 toilets and a hand-washing facility. For this construction work, the engineers on site recommended that the school be completely demolished and rebuilt. At least six of the classrooms and the toilet facilities with six individual cubicles will be barrier-free. The existing water pipes in the ground floor of the property are tapped for the hand washing facility. A new water pump is used to pump the water into the water tank, which in turn can be used to operate the new hand washing system.
At Mohammad Parsa Primary School, many teaching methods are outdated and the range of lessons offered is not very diverse, as there is a lack of further training opportunities for teachers. We are therefore planning 12-day method and calligraphy workshops for the 22 teachers. To ensure that primary school pupils also have the opportunity to develop their creativity, teaching methods and the content of creative subjects such ascalligraphy, painting and drawing are addressed in addition to the traditional teaching skills in the method workshops. These are usually given insufficient attention in teacher training, although calligraphy is an important, culturally anchored and respected art form in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, WASH workshops(Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) are planned for all pupils, teachers and employees of the school. They are designed to teach children how to handle water and the importance of hygiene in a playful way. Through small exercises in the form of games or by means of a course, the pupils go through and internalize the entire hygienic process of going to the toilet, washing their hands afterwards or brushing their teeth properly. Relevant virus prevention measures are also addressed in the workshops. This is particularly important in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. There has also been a huge spread of the virus in Kabul, while many people could hardly understand what was happening and why they should behave differently, as information was not sufficiently disseminated.
In addition, there will be a small program at the end of the project to establish ownership throughout the school community. This means that they develop personal responsibility and identify with the structures that have been created. The program includes, for example, the joint artistic design of a selected school wall or the sanitary facilities. This creates a sense of belonging and pride in one’s own school and motivates everyone involved to attend school and maintain the structures.
Another measure relates to our local partner organization OASE. This team is currently still being set up, but consists of members of our long-standing partner organization VUSAF, with whom we have already successfully completed countless projects in Afghanistan. The organization expressed a need for training to support the development, which we are very happy to meet. Topics relating to organizational development are currently being considered – such as Formulation of the vision, mission, strategy, objectives, responsibilities and roles in the team.
In order to measure the actual impact of the measures on the quality of learning, a professional external evaluation is planned. The results will help us to plan and implement future projects even more effectively.
The total project costs of the aforementioned measures amount to approx. 482,621 €. The BMZ is subsidizing this project with around €321,000. We receive further financial support for this project from the Cetto Foundation, the Asia Bridge Foundation, the Hanover and Munich Children’s Advisory Council, the Nader Etmenan Foundation and HAWAR.help. However, we are still dependent on donations to raise the remaining amount .
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED SO FAR
THE CONSTRUCTION WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED!
The 12 classrooms, 4 offices and sanitary facilities are ready! Around 600 pupils at Mohammad Parsa Primary School can finally learn in a safe environment.
600 STUDENTS AT THE WASH WORKSHOP
In November, the partner organization OASE (Organization of Afghan Support for Education) held a two-day hygiene workshop based on the project action plan for 600 pupils at Khwaja Mohammad Parsa School. The aim of the workshop was to raise awareness of personal hygiene among pupils in grades 1 to 6.
CONSTRUCTION WORK LARGELY COMPLETED
The interior and exterior paintwork and the sheet metal roof of the main building are finished. New chairs and tables are also available for 150 pupils. There are only a few steps left until the construction work is complete.
ON THE HOME STRAIGHT
Construction work on the Mohammad Parsa Primary School in Kabul is progressing more quickly again. What happens next: Work on the roof, fitting the doors, painting inside and out. The fountain will soon be built. The construction work should be completed by the end of August.
THE CONSTRUCTION WORK CONTINUES!
While the construction work was at a standstill during the winter months (Dec. 2021 - March 2022), some work was carried out to prepare for the resumption of construction work. Construction work finally began again after the Nauruz New Year and Spring Festival (March 21, 2022). Many things are currently running in parallel, such as the completion of the main building and the construction of the toilet block. At the same time, the local partner OASE reactivated the school's development committee. In the four meetings so far, the participants have acknowledged the progress made at the school and gathered important suggestions for the next steps.
THE SHELL IS FINISHED
Shortly before the onset of winter, the second floor of the shell of the main building was completed. As the winter in Afghanistan is very cold, construction work will be paused for the next few weeks.
SHELL ALMOST FINISHED
The shell of the new two-storey school building is almost complete. We are delighted that construction work has been able to continue in recent weeks despite the current developments in the country. However, since the Taliban took power, around 200 of the approximately 600 pupils are no longer attending classes at the transitional school. According to the head teacher, most of them sell plastic bags instead to support their families financially.
APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION SUBMITTED
The project had been delayed somewhat due to a late start to construction, the effects of the pandemic and the tense political situation. The planned workshops for pupils, teachers and school staff also have to be postponed until next year, also in the hope of a higher attendance rate than is currently the case in schools. We have therefore submitted a change request to the BMZ for the project duration until 31.08.2022.
INTERIM INSPECTIONS AND SITE VISITS
Despite the critical security situation and the third coronavirus wave, the schools were fortunately able to open for the students' interim exams. Active efforts are being made to avoid another school closure and to make up for the postponed COVID-19 workshops in the near future. However, the situation here is still unclear. Construction work continues as planned and the pillars of the school building are raised. In addition, the SDC (School Development Committee) has made some structural progress and has become more involved in various activities of the project.
SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS
Thanks to the training on hygiene measures, construction work was able to continue despite the ongoing lockdown and closed schools due to the third wave of COVID-19. Following the successful completion of the foundation work on the site, the walls of the new school building are now being raised
PREPARATIONS FOR NEW BUILDINGS
Following the demolition and laying of the foundation stone, preparations for the new buildings at the Mohammad Parsa School in Kabul are in full swing. After marking out the areas where classrooms, offices and sanitary facilities will soon be built, the excavation and foundation work as well as the leveling of the site were completed.
LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE
The foundation stone for the new building has now been laid in our school construction project. The construction of the 12 classrooms and sanitary facilities can now begin.
START OF CONSTRUCTION
A highlight of Hila's project trip was the start of construction work at the Mohammad Parsa School. After a long winter and some difficulties with the building permit, construction work has finally begun on the school building project. The ruined building will be completely demolished and rebuilt. 12 classrooms, 4 offices, toilets and a hand-washing facility are to be built for around 600 pupils.
PROJECT VISIT
Our CEO Hila visits the Khoja Mohammad Parsa elementary school for the first time and discusses the next steps with our local partner organization OASE.
INVENTORY OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Our member Winuss makes an initial inventory. The sight of the dilapidated building and conversations with the principal, the teaching staff and some of the pupils reveal the desolate state of the school. It quickly becomes clear that the school urgently needs support.
