Classroom
CONSTRUCTION
The Problem: Without Enough Classrooms, Children Miss Out on Schooling
In Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, the demand for education is far outpacing the construction of new classrooms. What’ s more, many schools built decades ago were never finished or repaired. This means students study in unsafe conditions, in overcrowded classrooms, brave the elements to study outside, or never make it to school at all.
In 2017 Pakistan became the world’ s sixth most populous country, and the population has grown by nearly 60 percent since 1998. Not only are more parents enrolling their children in school, but students want to continue learning into secondary and high school. To accommodate the demand, multiple classes are held in the same room, school days are split into morning and afternoon sessions with only a half-day for learning, and students are forced to study outside with no shelter.
In Tajikistan, many schools were built during the Soviet era and left unfinished when the Soviet Union collapsed. As one of the poorest countries in Central Asia, these buildings have continued to deteriorate. Sometimes those schools never had a proper roof, other times the floor was left unfinished. Children cannot go to school year round because it’ s too cold or damp in the buildings and the classrooms are crumbling around them. When they do go to school, many get sick from mold and poor ventilation.
4 | CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE