Kabul

The Paktika provincial education department in Afghanistan on Sunday confirmed that there have been no high school graduates in the past 20 years from the region.

According to the education department, there were no high school graduations in the past 20 years in five districts of Worombai, Tarwi, Dila Khoshamand, Naka, and Barmal in the southeastern province of Paktika, reported Tolo News. The education system was not properly active due to security tensions.

"Our focus is currently on the areas that lack absolute access to this right (education), we try to provide them their rights in a proper way," said the head of the Paktika education department.

Tribal elders said that due to lack of high schools and the poor education system thousands of youth are deprived of education.

According to the students of these districts, the families who are in a good economic condition send their children to the provincial capital city, Sharana, to continue their schools but those families struggling with severe economic conditions are unable to send their children to the capital for continuing education, Tolo News reported.

"No school has been constructed in our district. Our youth migrated to other countries," said Zahid, a student in Barmal district.

"There was no school in Khoshamand district during the former government's time," said Mohammad Daud, a student in Khoshamand district.

The tribal elders have urged the Taliban to construct schools and provide educational opportunities for the residents of these districts, reported Tolo News.

"We don't have any high school graduates in far areas and some districts of Paktika. We call on the Talibam officials to construct schools for us," said Abdul Rahim, a tribal elder in Khoshamand.

Paktika is along the Durand Line in the southeast of Afghanistan. Education and health sectors of Paktika have not properly developed over the past 20 years despite billions of dollars pumped in by the international community as part of the humanitarian support to Afghanistan, reported Tolo News.