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Female teachers training centre hit by rocket

September 3, 2004

In the early morning of Friday 3 September, SCA’s Female Teachers Training Centre in Jalalabad was hit by a rocket. No person was injured in the attack, but there was serious damage to the property. “The explosion was so severe that there was window glass scattered in the whole corridor”, says Rahman Gul Rahmani, who coordinates activities at the centre.

The incident is being investigated by the local police and provincial reconstruction forces in the area. SCA has started doing repairs and a new course opened on Monday, according to plan.

“We don’t believe that the rocket was targeting our activities. A number of rockets landed far from the training centre and it is more likely that they were aimed at something else, such as the airport”, says Jorgen Holmstrom, Regional Director.

The Female Teachers Training Centre opened in Peshawar in 2001, during Taliban rule. In 2002, the centre was shifted across the border to Jalalabad. Female teachers from SCA supported and government schools are offered one month training courses in pedagogy and subject knowledge. The centre is unique and so far more than 500 female teachers have participated in the training. By supporting female teachers, SCA hopes to improve opportunities for girls’ education in Afghanistan.