DATE=03/21/2002

TYPE=EDITORIAL

NUMBER=0-09775

TITLE=EDITORIAL: THE OPENING OF AFGHAN SCHOOLS

INTERNET=Yes

CONTENT=THIS EDITORIAL IS BEING RELEASED FOR USE BY ALL SERVICES.

Anncr: Next, an editorial expressing the policies of the United States Government:

Voice: Years of Soviet occupation followed by civil war and oppressive Taleban rule have left much of Afghanistan shattered, including the country's educational system.

On March 23rd, Afghan schools will re-open. For many girls this will be the first time they will enter a classroom. Nations whose women are educated are more competitive and more prosperous than nations where the education of women is forbidden or ignored.

Under the Taleban, educating women was a criminal act. The only way girls could be taught was in secret. If discovered, their teachers were severely punished. Under the new interim Afghan government, educating all children is a national priority - one strongly supported by the U.S.-led coalition.

The U-S will be funding twenty teams of teacher-trainers to conduct sessions with thousands of Afghan educators. The U-S is also sending blackboards, teachers' kits, and other school supplies. Four-million textbooks have already arrived in Afghanistan. Six-million more are on their way. All the textbooks are written in the Afghan languages of Pashto and Dari. The new volumes will offer Afghan students, both girls and boys, access to learning they could not even dream about before, and also encourage tolerance and respect for human dignity.

Not only is the American government responding to Afghanistan's educational needs, so are America's youngsters. Through the U-S Fund for Afghan Children, they have contributed more than four and a half million dollars, much of which is being used for school supplies like notebooks, pencils. and crayons.

In just over six months, the U-S has helped Afghanistan remove an oppressive government and break the stranglehold of the al-Qaida terrorists who used the country as their base. Afghanistan is now on the road to recovery. Afghans no longer face starvation. Roads and bridges are being repaired. And now with textbooks in hand, the boys and girls of Afghanistan will begin school. As President George W. Bush said, "This will be a remarkable moment in the history of Afghanistan, and a proud moment for the people of America."

Anncr: That was an editorial expressing the policies of the United States Government. If you have a comment, please write to Editorials, V-O-A, Washington, D-C, 20237, U-S-A. You may also comment at www-dot-ibb-dot-gov-slash-editorials, or fax us at (202) 619-1043.