KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday appreciated the Afghan girl robotics team for winning the silver medal in a competition in the United States, saying they represented ‘a new image of Afghanistan to the world.’
The six-member Afghan girls’ team took part in a three-day competition participated by students from 162 countries ending on July 18 in Washington.
The president, who met the robotics team at the Presidential Palace, was quoted in a statement as calling the girls “initiators” who had trust in their country’s future.
The president called the robotics team a great inspiration for other Afghan girls. “You opened the door for others to follow and you presented a new image of Afghanistan to the world,” the statement quoted Ghani as saying.
Ghani said such programs would help pave the ground for a healthy competition in technology and identify skilled Afghan girls.
He also congratulated the team, Roya Mehboob, the team’s leader and coach Ali Reza Mehraban and the Afghan people over winning a special award in the Washington competition.
First Lady Rrula Ghani also congratulated the team and the Afghan people and said: “Other Afghan girls learn from you, this and your future achievements will motivate other girls towards education.”
The team’s coach, Ali Reza Mehraban and a number of members also talked at the meeting and thanked the president and the first lady for their attention to the Afghan youth, particularly girls. They demanded more support for the team from the government.
The robotics said they were proud to be Afghans and that they would continue their education in the field and share their experience with others in future.
The president and the first lady provided financial assistance to the team from their personal budget and gave cash to the team’s coach for improvement of the students. (Pajhwok)