UK to provide £9m to support rural Afghan girls’ education

The United Kingdom has pledged to grant 9 million pounds to support girls’ education in rural areas of Afghanistan.

An agreement to that effect was signed between British ambassador to Kabul, Karen Pierce, and Afghan Education Minister Asadullah Hanif Balkhi on Thursday.

The fund extends till 2017 through the British Girls Education Fund and is an extension to a three-year program that began two years to improve girls’ education on rural level. The 49mn pounds program was supported by the British organization and some other organizations, but it was extended until 2017 with an additional cost of 9 million pounds.

“The implementation of the program would help education 180,000 girls and they would be taught by 8,000 teachers in suburb areas,” said Pierce.

The UK government has helped 16 provinces of Afghanistan in improving women’s education, added Pierce.

Minister Balkhi cited poor infrastructure, lack of schools and professional teachers in rural areas, insecurity and poverty as main causes that prevented girls from getting education.