PESHAWAR:
The much-hyped education emergency and enrolment drive by the K-P government has brought about little change as children in Chief Minister Pervez Khattak’s very own constituency are compelled to attend school under the open sky.
A government primary school in Tangi Khattak, located three kilometres away from Manki Sharif, Nowshera, paints a dismal picture of the country’s future. Established in 1983, it still lacks essential facilities like furniture, sanitation, electricity and toilets.
It has all of two rooms which accommodate around 200 students. This leaves teachers with no other option but to conduct classes on a nearby hilltop.
A government school in Tangi Khattak lacks essential facilities and paints a dismal picture of the country’s future. PHOTOS: SAMEER RAZIQ/EXPRESS
The destitute condition of the institution raises questions on K-P government’s determination to utilise the hefty share allocated for the education sector in the budget.
Four teachers work there. One of them said his colleagues pitched in funds for the construction of the school’s boundary wall. It becomes impossible to conduct classes when it rains, he added.
While talking to The Express Tribune, an elder from the area, Gul Ghulam, said the school does not even have an electricity meter installed and the students are shifted to a nearby mosque when the heat becomes unbearable.
Ghulam complained locals elected Khattak as their MPA who then became the chief minister but his hometown has not progressed much.
“The condition of this school has been the same for the past 30 years. What more can one say?” asked Ghulam.
“The education department did not even bother to pave the floor for the children or increase the number of rooms in the facility.” He added the dilapidated condition of the floor forces students to bring mats from their own homes to lay inside the classrooms.
Ahmad Khan, a fourth grader, said they spent four tough years in the school. The area does not even have a middle school, he added. “We will have to go to Manki Sharif to continue studying after grade five,” said Ahmad.
Sheran, who studies in grade one, asked PTI Chairman Imran Khan to intervene and instruct authorities to take action.
Minister promises action
Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Atif Khan assured the government will try its best to address the problems of the school and provide facilities at the earliest. “Without a doubt there are thousands of schools in the province which lack basic facilities, essentially because previous governments never prioritised the needs of the sector,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2014.