A developed and safe Afghanistan will benefit the world at large; The banner read ‘literacy' and that is all I understood

"I will go to public school after this course and then to university. I will study to become an attorney," says Said Nabiullah. He is 24 years old and is enrolled in a nine-month literacy programme organized by the Ministry of Education in Kabul.

The students in Nabiullah's literacy class are youth and adults with different levels of literacy. There are only 10 pupils, five men and five women, and two teachers. Students study in groups of two or three, or individually, depending on their level of literacy.

Nabiullah is presently studying the primary course. He is a security guard and found out about the course when he saw a banner at the gate of the Deputy Ministry of Literacy. "The banner read ‘literacy' and that is all I understood," he says.

If he had had the opportunity to attend school as a child, he would have become an attorney, Nabiullah says. Married and a father of two daughters, he hopes that his children will have a brighter future. "They should get a good education so they can serve their country in the future," he says resolutely, "unlike me who suffers from the consequences of not studying, who has to work day and night."

"I would like to encourage my fellow youth, they should study, learn and educate themselves and I would like to ask the international community to help us keep our country safe. A developed and safe Afghanistan will benefit the world at large," he says.

Nabiullah is concerned about the situation in the country and about what will happen next. "I am thinking of sending my daughters to school, but I don't want them to go to school by themselves. I think the security situation is still not good enough," he says.