Foreign Ministry Supports Creation of Ties Between Estonian and Afghan Schools
05.04.2010
The Foreign Ministry is supporting an Estonia-Afghanistan friendship schools project that will help to increase the awareness of schoolteachers and students regarding Afghanistan and development co-operation.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet asserted that Afghanistan is known in many nations, including Estonia, primarily in the light of stereotypes about the nation, which are mostly limited to conflicts and narcotics dealing. “The friendship schools project will increase students’ knowledge and understanding of Afghan culture and everyday life there. Supporting friendship schools will also give young people the chance to help their Afghan peers through volunteer work,” said Paet. “In addition to the chance to get to know one another better, co-operation between Estonian and Afghan schools will also include various joint endeavours that will improve the quality of education,” Paet added.
The Jaan Tõnisson Institute’s Afghanistan friendship schools project will create contacts between Estonian and Afghan schools and introduce everyday life in the country. Ten Estonian schools have already found friendship schools in Afghanistan. The friendship school activity in Afghanistan is mostly focused on the northern Afghanistan region, more precisely the fourth-largest city in Afghanistan Mazār-e Sharīf and the surrounding area.
Within the framework of the friendship schools programme, Afghanistan-themed events and activities will take place in Estonian schools, materials about Afghanistan and Islam will be compiled, teachers from Estonian schools will take a trip to Afghanistan, a documentary film will be made, and the Afghan friendship schools will be given help in compiling teaching materials.
The education situation in Afghanistan is complicated, but it has improved somewhat since 2001. While in 2001 80% of all schoolhouses had been destroyed and only 38% of elementary school-aged children attended school (and only 3% of those were girls), today there are 5.8 million Afghan children attending school, of which 35% are girls. However, most schools are lacking a schoolhouse and their lessons take place outdoors.
The implementation of the three-year global education project “MDG Awareness among schoolchildren and teachers” is being supported by the European Commission. It is being co-funded with 793 082 kroons (50 700 EUR) from the Foreign Ministry budget for development co-operation and humanitarian aid.
