KABUL (SW) – Teachers and managers at private education institutions say there has been phenomenal decline in the number of students in the recent weeks.
Every year, with the arrival of winter and the closure of schools, a large number of students go to tuition centers to prepare for the entrance exam or to prepare for the coming academic year. Now a number of school officials say that this year the number of participating students has dropped dramatically and the amount of tuition fees at these schools has also decreased.
Jalal Heydari, director of the Nazar Zalmai Training Center in Kabul, says that this year, compared to previous years, these tuition centers have witnessed negative effects and the number of students has dropped by 70 to 80 percent for various reasons.
Heydari considers the reasons for the decrease in the number of students to be the regime change, the unemployment of a number of people, the non-payment of government employees’ salaries on time, economic problems and other reasons.
“The economic situation of the people is not good, the universities and a number of schools have been closed,” he added. “These are the reasons why the number of students in the courses has decreased this year.”
Officials at a number of other such private schools in Kabul say the number of students and tuition fees have dropped by 50 to 60 percent.
Ali Shirzad, a teacher at a school in Kabul, says the uncertain fate of the country, the current economic and political situation and the disruption of the learning process have had a negative impact on students’ morale.
He added that most students, despite being physically present in the classroom, are thinking about what the future will hold and how they will be able to reach a foreign country.
Some of the students in the preparatory schools say that although they attend the schools, their thoughts are confused and they can not study with a calm mind.
Hamidullah Arsala, a student at a training center in Kabul, says he participates in preparatory classes, but his future faces an uncertain fate.
“Young people are disappointed and most of them are gone,” he added. “I do not think there will be any hope until next year. The current situation has affected everything. The economy has weakened and education has become difficult. My situation is not good either.”
Meanwhile, Islamic Emirate officials say they are working to provide facilities for students and improve the quality of lessons.
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