School children from Chaghcharan district in Ghowr province participate in an award ceremony supported by ISAF forces Dec. 29 (Photo courtesy of ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan)
Posted on 01/03/2010 7:23:25 AM PST by SandRat
NEWS RELEASE
ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan
2010-01-CA–006
For Immediate Release
CHAGCHARAN, Afghanistan (Jan. 2) – About 500 school children from Chaghcharan district in Ghowr province participated in an award ceremony supported by ISAF forces Dec. 29.
The head of the provincial education department, local authorities and the chief of staff of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team there attended the event.
"The local government put a lot of effort into facilitating education for the people of Ghowr," said Lt. Col. Arturas Jasinskas, the PRT chief of staff. "This contributes to the building of a better future for the people of Afghanistan."
The PRT provided the prizes for the students, learning equipment and tools for the school.
ISAF service members in the PRT have been involved in cooperation with provincial education since it began in 2005. The PRT provides seminars for local teachers, study books, school furniture, computers and learning equipment. It is also involved in school construction and reconstruction projects.
"I’m sure schoolchildren here today will be coming back to the province in five or 10 years after graduating universities in the Kabul or Herat," said Jasinskas. "They will work for the future of Ghowr and Afghanistan."
Japanese counterparts working in the PRT are providing some of the most significant development effort. In September, literacy courses for local residents were offered. The courses are an element of a five-part Program for the Enhancement of Literacy in Afghanistan coordinated by UNESCO and funded by the government of Japan. Five centers for literacy will be established under the program in Chaghcharan, Dowlat Yar, Lal Sarjangal, Saghar and Tulak for around 30,000 children and adults.
The PRT is comprised of soldiers and civilians from Lithuania, Denmark, Japan, Croatia, Georgia, Romania, Ukraine and the U.S.
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