Visiting Afghan school officials met Tuesday with education minister Atsuko Toyama to discuss plans for a program to train female Afghan teachers.

"We hope to cooperate in rebuilding education so that those willing to learn can study," Toyama was quoted as saying as she welcomed the group.

The group of four men and three women, including officials from the government's education bureaus as well as the head of a women's school, arrived in Japan on Monday for a visit until Dec. 6.

The training program for female teachers is scheduled to be held in Japan next year under the sponsorship of five Japanese women's universities. Faculty members from the five universities will brief them on the program.

The Afghan educators will also speak on their country's education system at a symposium at Tokyo's Ochanomizu University, one of the five women's universities, on Dec. 4. The four others are Tsuda College, Tokyo Women's Christian University, Nara Women's University and Japan Women's University.

The training program is expected to start in February. It will run for about five weeks and involve about 20 trainees. The universities hope to accommodate around 60 trainees over three years.

Fahima Hadi, the principal of a women's school, was quoted as telling Toyama that women suffered under the Taliban regime and she hopes to communicate what she learns through the program to people in her country.

Under the Taliban, Afghan women were barred from public life and often prohibited from working outside the home. They were also not allowed to receive an education.

Ajimal Faiz, head of the Afghan government's secondary education bureau, welcomed Japan's assistance, officials said.