Afghan crisis: Delhi refugee school faces uncertain future as funding dwindles

Faced with a severe funding gap, Bhogal’s Syed Jamaluddin Afghan School in Delhi, the only educational resource for refugees from the war-torn country in the region, looks to an uncertain future.

“We are facing two big problems, the first is the teachers’ salary because they have not been paid in the last nine months, and the second problem is that the rent for the school has not been paid for a long time. All the money comes from the Ministry of Education to the embassy in Delhi. It is a long process and we have not received it yet, “she said. ANI Deputy Director Kanishka Shahabi is here.

Authorities at the school, which began operating nearly two decades ago, fear that political turmoil in Afghanistan will lead to the school’s closure.

“These days, we cannot find a responsible person in Afghanistan to talk about the schools, as the Ministry of Education is closed. Nobody knows what will happen. Too early to say anything about the situation, the school is a small institution that does not “I don’t know what will happen next,” Deputy Director Kanishka Shahabi. She also noted that 95% of employees are women and the fate of female employees under the Taliban regime has yet to be decided.

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Currently, the school is only online, but the vice principal claims that due to non-payment of salaries, many teachers may choose to withdraw from the institute.

“The school is not closed, the education continues online. The teachers are tired and do not have money to pay for the Internet. We want to open the school but we are facing a funding crisis. Maybe some teachers will not go and who knows if the new government will send money or not, ”said Deputy Director Shahabi.

The management of the bhogal-based school has asked the Afghan embassy and the Indian government to resolve the issues and help the institution run smoothly.

The deputy director also says that about two or three years ago, about 800 students were registered, but now the number has been reduced to just 375 with 36 employees, including 25 teachers and the rest in charge of administrative matters.

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Initially, the school was associated with the non-governmental organization Women’s Labor Union, which closed the school in the early 2000s. For a few days, the school was also run by donations, although after that the Afghan government began to assist it financial.

The school’s principal, Saniafeda Taj, who declined to comment on camera, said: “We are also in constant contact with the Afghan Embassy, ​​but so far there has been no respite from there, We are also trying to get some kind of help ” from the Government of India or other institutions. In view of the situation, the owner of the building was also asked to reduce the rent. “