KABUL, 26 April, 2021 (TON): On Sunday, the senators summoned education ministry officials over as concerns grow over lack of teachers and textbooks in schools both in Kabul and other provinces.

The senators said, they see an uneven distribution of resources among the nation's schools. 

Some senators called the education issues catastrophic, and said the obstacles need to be removed with an effective plan. 

The senators described that a month after the start of the current school year, many schools are faced with lack of textbooks, teachers and, in some cases, proper building and other needs that has been going for several years.

Senator Fawzia Sadat Samkanai said, “Some students have studied until the eighth year, but they have had a wish to sit on chair and study.”

Other senators, meanwhile, criticized what they called unjust distribution of new posts by the Education Ministry to certain provinces.

“When there isn’t teacher or book, what is the importance of having a school or classroom?” asked Amina Afzali, a senator and a member of the education committee of the Senate. 

The acting minister of education, Rangina Hamidi, was summoned to appear at the Senate, but she didn’t appear at the meeting.  

 However, the deputy minister of education, Ataullah Wahidyar, said that 94% of the budget allocated for the ministry is spent on the salaries of its employees, and that only 4% is left for other activities. 

However, the senators opinioned that the resources have been distributed unjustly over the last few years, citing some schools that have one teacher for 70 students.