Back to school: Educational institutes in Mohmand Agency to reopen next week

Teachers posted elsewhere asked to return to their previous posts from November 15.

GHALLANAI:

All public schools and a college in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency will be reopened from November 11 after a gap of five years, and deputation orders of all teachers have been cancelled.

This was decided on Saturday during a meeting held between officials of the education department of Mohmand Agency, Pakistan Army and the political administration.

Agency education official Said Muhammad told The Express Tribune one degree college for boys, two high schools, two middle schools and 25 primary schools – which had been closed due to poor law and order – will be reopened next week. “As most of the school buildings in Safi had been destroyed due to militancy, the reopened schools will be set up in tents,” he said.

The official added deputation orders of teachers of these schools, which had been delegated to other institutes, have been cancelled and the teachers have been advised to return to their previous schools.



“If they (the teachers) fail to do so by November 15 they would face disciplinary action as political administration officials, education department officials and security forces would examine the reopened institutes on a regular basis,” shared Said.

Schools in the tehsil have been closed since 2008. After the military operation in 2011, the education department ordered their reopening and the FATA Secretariat even appointed new lecturers for Government Degree College Lakkaro, however, the college remained non-functional and the staff continued to withdraw salaries.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Zar Khan Safi, a resident of Mohmand Agency, welcomed the announcement, saying the administration had taken a bold step and it was necessary to rebuild educational institutes across the area on a priority basis. “The authorities must now ensure the presence of teachers in these schools,” said Safi. He added many families who had relocated from Safi due to non-availability of education for their children would now return.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2013.