Community-based monitoring program of schools in Kapisa province
Mohammad Hakim Shaheed High School was built on land donated by the local people of Khushtakan village of Kuhistan II district in central Kapisa province. Local communities have been very supportive of this school as they also contributed the funds required to build a second floor of the school. However, due to lack of monitoring, local people did not know much about the condition of the school or did not pay attention to it.
After Integrity Watch started the community-based monitoring program in the area, local monitors reported to the community that the school building was degrading fast and if attention was not paid to maintenance, the school building would face irreparable damage costing the community its school. When volunteer local monitors reported additional problems to the local community, people again came forward with support to their school. This time the locals paid for construction of a meeting hall and walkways within the school. They also paid for additional maintenance of the whole school such as the fixing of broken windows and painting of the school.
The school which accommodates 800 students, badly needed some cash for repairs which the administration raised from local communities. They also raised funds by selling off USD1,000 worth of construction material which was left over from the construction of the second floor to the school building. The money was then used for renovation. Both students and teachers served as volunteer laborers, completing the entire work themselves. Local communities say that the process of spending the money was so transparent that locals have promised to contribute to the school again in the future.
Community-based monitoring of schools was launched almost three years ago and has covered 150 schools in three provinces so far. Integrity Watch plans to expand this program to more provinces in the near future.
