Afghanistan’s education officials have emphasized the importance of education in society and urged students to make an effort to increase their knowledge of modern sciences.

Speaking at an award ceremony following the national Science Star program, Alhaj Mawlawi Sakhaullah Saeed, Deputy Minister of Education, said students must “strive tirelessly to enrich their scientific knowledge”.

Education officials also pointed out that efforts for the development of modern sciences are ongoing by the Islamic Emirate. Officials said this was especially in line with the balance of military power in the world, which requires an understanding of modern sciences.

Officials emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the development of science education in the country.

On the Science Star program, officials discussed in detail the value and role of such competitions in terms of enhancing students’ scientific knowledge and self-confidence.

They assured students of the continuation of these programs and the preparation and provision of facilities for future contests.

A few months ago, the education ministry rolled out the scientific contest across all 34 provinces in the country to develop and identify talent across the country.

The results were recently announced at a grand ceremony attended by the deputy minister of education and other officials, along with the Education Advisor of the Turkish Embassy, and the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Iran.

The contest itself was run in all 34 provinces. The top student from each province then went through to a second round.

Six finalists were selected for the last round - and battled it out for the top three spots.

Winner of the Science Star this year was Samiullah, son of Mirza Mohammad from Herat province.

Second was Azizullah, son of Ramazan from Bamyan province, and third was Azmatullah, son of Bismillah from Kabul city.

The contest was organized by the education ministry in cooperation with and the financial support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC).

Meanwhile, Abdul Latif Nazari, the Deputy Minister of Economy, who was also at the ceremony, said: “Contrary to the propaganda of the enemies, the Islamic Emirate pays special attention to the strengthening of educational centers.”
TIKA officials in turn said their organization continues to cooperate with Afghanistan in various sectors, especially in education.

“We have implemented hundreds of projects in different sectors in Afghanistan over the past twenty years.

“More than a hundred of the projects are in the education sector and we continue this cooperation,” said Fazil Akin Erdogan, head of TIKA.

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, will visit Pakistan on Thursday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Islamabad said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zahra Baloch, told a press briefing that Kabulov will meet with Foreign Secretary Amina Baloch and hold detailed discussions with Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan and West Asia) Ahmad Naseem Warraich.

“The two sides will review the situation in Afghanistan, and discuss the role of neighboring countries in promoting regional peace and stability,” Baloch said.

Iran’s ministry of justice’s deputy for international affairs and human rights, along with the Islamic Emirate has announced plans to repatriate Afghan prisoners over the next two months.

Iranian deputy minister Askar Jalalian said Wednesday that an agreement regarding the deportation of Afghan convicts was first signed in 2005 and that the current government is duty bound to adhere to the accord.

Jalalian said he will travel to Kabul to discuss the transfer of prisoners currently being held in Tehran, as well as the repatriation of Iranian prisoners in Afghanistan.

He said the relationship between Iran and Afghanistan is strong across various sectors, noting that both nations share a common language and numerous cultural ties.

Jalalian acknowledged that some adversaries may not favor the strengthening of Iran's relations with its neighbors; however, he affirmed the importance of nurturing the deep-rooted connections between the two countries.

The Islamic Emirate has said it hopes to facilitate the transfer of the 1,000 Afghan prisoners within the next two months in order for them to serve out their sentences in Afghanistan.

The IEA also confirmed that a delegation from Iran's Ministry of Justice will meet with officials in Kabul to finalize the matter.

The deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Hamdullah Fitrat, meanwhile said the delegation’s visit to Kabul will be a constructive step towards exchanging prisoners between the two countries.