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Construction was finished on seven new schools in Kandahar, for a total of a dozen completed since the project began in 2008, and work continued on 21 more. None of the Canadian-funded schools were among those that Afghan education authorities reported in mid-September were not holding classes because of physical damage, insurgent action or threats against students or staff. An example of such intimidation was the acid attack in November 2008 on a group of girls walking to school in Kandahar City. To counter such threats, Canada is now funding a year’s rental of five school buses, providing safety for schoolgirls and female teachers to attend classes. Canada also supports more than 3,000 community-based schools across the country, reaching in excess of 80,000 students, predominately girls.
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