12 December 2010 - On Saturday 11 December, on the outskirts of Kabul, Minister of Education, Farooq Wardak and Japan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan, Shigeyuki Hiroki, inaugurated the newly-constructed Mohamed Mussa Shafiq high school for boys and girls.

This school, which has 30 classrooms and will accommodate a total of 2,400 students in 2 daily shifts, was funded by the Government of Japan and constructed by the Ministry of Education as part of its programme of cooperation with UNICEF.

The construction of Mohamed Mussa Shafiq high school is part of a major project under which, with support from Japan and UNICEF, the Government of Afghanistan will construct over 1000 new classrooms in 58 schools in the Kabul area. The Government of Japan has so far contributed USD$ 24 million to this project.

The project aims to address the severe scarcity of teaching and learning spaces for Kabul’s rapidly-growing population and has a particular focus on increasing educational opportunities for girls. At the completion of the project, nearly 150,000 students will benefit from access to safe, healthy and hygienic learning environments. In addition, over 3,000 teachers will have been trained in child-centered, participatory teaching techniques.

“The ‘One Thousand Classrooms Project’ is implemented in accordance with UNICEF’s Child Friendly School approach, which aims to improve both the quality of learning inside the classroom, as well as the physical facilities, so that children can study in an environment that helps them to realize their full potential” said Peter Crowley, UNICEF Representative to Afghanistan.

UNICEF has found that providing a protective and sanitary environment, including boundary walls, water points, as well as separate latrines for boys and girls, can significantly improve girls enrolment and retention, and that children enrolled in such schools serve as particularly effective advocates for improved hygiene and sanitation in their own homes and communities.

The UNICEF Country Programme (2010-2013) focuses on reducing inequalities in education - for girls, hard to reach children and minorities. The ‘One Thousand Classrooms Project’, funded by the Government of Japan, is one of the most important initiatives through which UNICEF seeks to advance this agenda in Afghanistan.