Reconstruction team opens new girls' school in Afghanistan

[The Straight Story]

Reconstruction team opens new girls' school in Afghanistan


10/22/2009 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- A crowd of Afghans and U.S. servicemembers celebrated the building of the new Bibi Khala Girls' School Oct. 19 in Qalat city, located in Afghanistan's Zabul province.

Bibi Khala is the largest girls' school in Qalat, with approximately 1,500 students. The new building consists of eight classrooms made to hold more than 400 students and offers modern education opportunities, including computer programming classes, biology and chemistry laboratories.

The school offers classes for children in grades four through 10, who attend the school during two four-hour shifts. The first shift is in the morning and the second in the afternoon.

"It's going to be the magnet school in Zabul for women's education," said Lt. Col. Andy Veres, Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team commander.

Before the school opened, many students attended class in tents due to the limited amount of classroom space. With the opening of the annex, the number of classrooms has increased and students are moving out of the tents and into classrooms.

"We really support the Bibi Kalah school and we're trying to help encourage more schools to follow the model of Bibi Khala," said Maj. Elizabeth Erickson, PRT senior medical officer and Women's Affairs leader. "They have really dedicated teachers and they do an excellent job in a province where it's very difficult for girls to go to school. In the district outside of Qalat city there are hardly any girls' schools at all."

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123173999