KHOST — Construction of more than 70 school buildings in Khost Province has been left unfinished following the suspension of funding from the World Bank, leaving thousands of children without proper classrooms, local sources and residents say.
The schools were part of the now-halted Citizens’ Charter program, a nationwide development initiative that received international backing before the fall of the previous government in 2021. According to local education authorities now operating under Taliban oversight, the projects were roughly 80 percent complete when work was abruptly stopped.
“These buildings were near completion, but since the funding was cut, everything has stalled,” said an official with the provincial education department. “Students are now forced to study in open spaces without any shelter.”
The incomplete buildings are spread across several districts of Khost. Sources say that of the 371 public schools in the province, 120 still lack permanent structures, compounding the educational challenges faced by children in the region.
Residents and educators are urging the World Bank to revisit its decision and resume support for the projects. “Our children are the ones suffering,” said one parent. “They sit in the dust and heat to learn because their schools were left abandoned.”
Construction was halted in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, when most international donors, including the World Bank, froze direct support to the country. While some humanitarian aid has since resumed, funding for infrastructure projects like school construction remains suspended.
Local education officials warn that without renewed investment, entire communities risk long-term setbacks in access to schooling. “These projects gave us hope,” one teacher said. “Now that hope is sitting half-built and empty.”
The World Bank has not issued a public statement specifically addressing the status of the school buildings in Khost.
