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Girls at Rahman Mena Girls ’ High School , in the Kart-e-Naw district of Kabul , practice their computer skills .
THE ROAD
by Katie Smith
In Badakhshan , the northernmost province of Afghanistan , computer literacy has not made it up the rocky , pitted road to the students and villagers that reside in the shadow of the Hindu-Kush Mountain range . Teachers keep track of attendance , homework , and test scores the old-fashioned way , with paper and pencil . Students scratch out math problems on scrap paper and handwrite all their assignments .
It ’ s not an aversion to technology that keeps these rural communities decades behind the technological revolution . The problem lies in education . Ten years ago the
Afghan government distributed computers to the schools in the region , but without an instruction manual the teachers and administrators could not turn the machines on , let alone use them to keep track of students and test scores . The computers sat collecting dust , and the villages remained disconnected from the rest of the world .
Ten years later , there is increasing demand for computer literacy in this region desperate for knowledge . CAI ’ s partner in Badakhshan , Marcopolo Social Services and Reconstruction Organization ( MSSRO ) has introduced a capacity-building program that not only teaches school administrators how to use computer technology , but also how to teach their colleagues to use the machines too . The training takes place through the Baharak Learning Center , a vocational training school with branches in several communities .
“ First , we have to train them to use computers ,” explains Janagha Jaheed , MSSRO ’ s director . “ With training , one computer now is more valuable than ten computers ten years ago with no training .”
BAHARAK LEARNING CENTER
CAI and MSSRO developed Baharak Learning Center ( BLC ) in 2011 to provide trainings for teachers in the area who had trouble keeping up with new stateapproved curriculum and the latest teaching techniques . This new computer training program will help these schools build capacity and keep in step with advancement
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