The lack of suitable buildings for two hundred schools in Balkh and the shortage of professional teachers are among the serious challenges facing the education department of this province.

Abdul Jalil Shahidkhail, head of the education department in Balkh, said that in order to reduce educational challenges, they have distributed more than 2 million textbooks in two stages to students in public schools of this province.

Abdul Jalil Shahidkhail added that among 700 schools in this province, 200 schools need reconstruction.

Shahidkhail said: "A few days ago, I was told by the Ministry of Education to provide information on how many schools in Balkh need repair and reconstruction. With the approaching academic year 1403 (solar year) and the process of distributing textbooks in Balkh, nearly 200 schools in Balkh need repair and reconstruction."

Meanwhile, students and teachers in Balkh emphasized the continuation of the textbook distribution process in the coming years.

Bahram Hamrah, representative of the Ministry of Education in the printing and distribution of textbooks, said: "According to our plan, we have allocated 2.2 million textbooks for all the schools of Balkh province. In the first stage, which was last year, 1.4 million books were distributed, and now we are witnessing the second stage of textbook distribution. About 840,000 books are being distributed to public schools in Balkh province from grade one to grade twelve."

"When we do not have books, we cannot study properly, and the Afghan society suffers from the lack of books. Now that the books have arrived, we are very happy and study our lessons well," said Ahmad Sohaib, a student.

"Last year, when we entered the classrooms, approximately 70-80%, or 50% did not have books. We faced a significant shortage of books," said Padshah Khan, a teacher.

According to information from the Balkh Education Department, after the return of the Islamic Emirate, 52 schools have been reconstructed, and 13 other schools have been built by national and international institutions.

According to this institution, currently, more than 600,000 students are engaged in education in public schools in Balkh, and there is a need for 1,400 professional teachers and other staff.