KABUL - Education Minister Ghulam Farooq Wardak on Tuesday said 65,000 religious scholars had been appointed as schoolteachers under pressure from members of both houses of parliament.

Wardak, who along with Higher Education Minister Obaidullah Obaid, appeared before the Meshrano Jirga, briefed the upper house on progress and problems in the education sector.

A number of parliamentarians have criticized the two ministries of illegally appointing schoolteachers despite lack of schools in most areas.

They also accused the Education Ministry of interfering into the affairs of some education institutions.

Wardak said the 65,000 clerics had been appointed as schoolteachers under pressure from some senators and Wolesi Jirga members. He said the appointed individuals lacked the required documents to perform the job.

Those covered on the jobs claim to have completed education in Iran and Pakistan.

“You senators have been requesting me to appoint these people, who have no legal documents. You did not think about your children’s future going into the hands of non-professional teachers,” Wardak said.

The education minister also said his ministry had obtained membership of five international foundations to help the education system not face any problems over the next decade.

In order to improve their performance, some teachers were mutually transferred, Wardak said.

“Students and teachers would never face any problem during my term as education minister. Where schools are not available, such areas are paid properly attention” he said.

He said a mechanism was being put in place to reopen schools which had been closed due to insecurity.

Education officials say 670 schools have been reopened over the past three years, but about 400 schools remained closed in some parts of the country. (Pajhwok)