U.S. Army Capt. Charles Peters, Texas Agribusiness Development Team operations officer, inspects the condition of a green house during a site survey at Jungal Bagh Farm in Ghazni province, April 8. Texas ADT works closely with farmers to achieve the best growing conditions for crops. Photo by Tech. Sgt. J.t. May, Iii

Approximately 5,000 Afghan students at Sanayee High School in Ghazni province, are learning not only about math, history and geography, but also about agriculture.

The Agribusiness Development Team in Ghazni, whose members are from the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard, led a small team of U.S. service members to the all-male high school where they spoke to the assistant principal to verify the completion of a school project, April 8.

The project, which is similar to Future Farmers of America, uses small square-foot gardens and aims to give students a chance to work with the soil.

“Once we show the students physically how to plant trees and seeds, it will encourage them,” said Abdul Sabur, the school assistant principle.

The ADT also learned that agricultural teachers were scarce. They offered to train the current agricultural teachers, and suggested a field trip for the students to Jungal Bagh farms, where they could see the work of agricultural experts in progress.

“Really, what it comes down to, is that agriculture is very important to the Afghan people, and we need to reach them at a very young age,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rodney Robinson, agribusiness marketing specialist . “What better way to reach them than through high school, because agriculture is one of the main sources of income for the Afghan people.

During their discussion with the assistant principal, the ADT discovered that the school was very popular with its students.

“About 350 students will graduate this year, and 90 percent will be going to a university,” said Sabur.

The school, one of 20 to 25 schools in Ghazni City, encourages its students to become teachers.

“About seven students from here who went to the university came back here to teach,” said Sabur. “We have some students who teach at the university in Ghazni now.”

However, the faculty faces challenges inherent to a war-torn country. During the time of the Soviet occupation, their library books were burned, said Sabur.

The library is now used as a classroom to accommodate overcrowding.

Despite these challenges, the school, maintains its popularity and prestige.

“This is a very popular school in Ghazni City,” said Sabur. “When people graduate from here and go to Kabul, they will ask the students if they graduated from Sanayee High School.”

DVIDS
Story by 2nd Lt. Katherine Roling

International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and Afghan National Police representatives met today [February 28 2009] with provincial authorities to respond to local concerns raised at a protest yesterday in Ghazni province, alleging that a mosque had been damaged.

Previously, Afghan National Police in Ghazni, acting on information that a certain building in the village of Deh-e Khodaydad was being used as a militant safe house and recruitment centre, requested that ISAF troops support an ANP operation intended to capture militant cell leaders there.

During the Feb. 26 operation, Afghan National Police entered the building using a non-lethal concussion grenade to subdue possible occupants. ISAF forces provided a security cordon around the building, but did not enter. The ANP found no militants inside the building, and no shots were reportedly fired. There were no reports of injuries in the operation or of significant damage to the building or its contents. Additionally, there was no indication that the building might have been used as a mosque.

On Feb. 27, based upon unsubstantiated claims that the building was a mosque and that religious materials had allegedly been damaged, a local protest occurred involving approximately 200 people. Afghan National Police responded to the scene. No ISAF forces were involved in the protest.

The protest may have been instigated by a deliberate enemy propaganda ploy. ISAF continues to investigate the claim.

ISAF