Lagging behind: Girls deprived of secondary education in absence of high school

Mardan’s Shamozai UC has three high schools for boys but none for girls .

PESHAWAR:

The residents of Shamozai union council (UC) in Mardan have accused the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government of failing to promote girls’ education in the region despite several complaints by the populace.

To date, no high schools for girls has been established in Shamozai by the government. According to locals, there are several primary schools, and three high schools for boys but after fifth grade there is no other government-run education facility for girls.

Former nazim of the UC, Saeed Ahmad told The Express Tribune on Sunday that last year the local welfare committee purchased a four kanal plot for the establishment of a high school for girls in Badar Bandha area of Shamozai, however, the government has still not taken any interest in the school’s construction.

“The committee had decided to use the money generated from royalties made on marble mining and we purchased the land for Rs4.5 million because we feel that the lack of a high school for girls is putting the future of the girls at risk,” explained Ahmad.

According to Ahmad, a government girls high school (GGHS) is located in the neighbouring village of Mian Khan Kallay, but parents do not wish to send their daughters there because it is situated five kilometres away and in a remote, mountainous area which is difficult for young girls to commute to.

The former nazim demanded the provincial government immediately construct a school on the piece of land the local welfare committee had already purchased.

Lashing out at the government, Ahmad said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came into power with the slogan of declaring an ‘education emergency’ but those were just statements as they have not taken any practical steps in this regard.

On the other side

However, the provisions in the alternate school are far from satisfactory.

Requesting anonymity, an official at the GGHS Mian Khan Kallay told The Express Tribune that their school bore the burden of extra students because of the lack of a school for girls in Shamozai.

“We only have one Arabic teacher for nearly 600 students, while seven private teachers also come to teach students,” he explained.

The official further claimed the headmistress of GGHS Mian Khan Kallay, Shabana Tabassum has not come to work for the past 14 months but continues to receive a salary.

“For the past one year, residents have been demanding the government upgrade GGHS Mian Khan Kallay to a higher secondary school but the government has not even considered it,” he added.

The official further said locals had complained to the provincial education secretary, education director and the District Development Advisory Committee chairperson but no one has taken any action on their complaints.

Welfare committee’s concerns

Shamozai Welfare Committee President Zar Bahadar Khan said Shamozai has a considerable population and schools for both girls and boys were necessary.

He added that over the years, irrespective of which party is in government, members of the committee have informed the constituency’s MPAs and MNAs as well as former chief ministers and governors during their visits about the issue but the matter still remains unresolved.

Khan accused Minister for Education Atif Khan of not taking interest in the area’s education sector and held him responsible for girls not being able to continue secondary education.

Furthermore, the committee members demanded Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and their MPA Gohar Ali Shah to appoint a sufficient number of teachers in the existing schools and to take tangible steps to ensure education for girls in Shamozai.

When contacted, District Education Officer-Female (DEO-F) Zuhara Akhunzada said she had only been appointed three months earlier, and was reviewing the situation.  “Vacant seats of teachers in the district will be filled in the near future,” she claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2014.