Amid inequalities in Khanpur: Girls struggle for education as segregation takes precedence

Govt Degree College principal ends co-education; disallows admission to girls

HARIPUR: The absence of a degree college for girls in Khanpur has compelled students to either discontinue their studies or travel long distances in pursuit of an education.

An official of the education department told The Express Tribune there is no respite for students because the provincial government has swept the matter under the carpet.

Officials privy to the development said during his tenure from 2008 to 2013 former provincial minister for higher education Qazi Mohammad Asad had announced a degree college for girls would be established in Khanpur and Sera-e-Saleh. Although the facility for Sera-e-Saleh started functioning a few years ago, no degree college has been established in Khanpur.

While speaking to The Express Tribune, Nusrat Bibi, a PTI activist from Khanpur, said, “There are only a couple of higher secondary schools for girls for the entire population. Each have between 200 to 250 students at the intermediate level.”

She added, “More than half of the girls stop studying because their families cannot afford to send them to Haripur city or other areas to continue their education.”

Co-education

The PTI activist pointed out that during 2013, former principal of Government Degree College Khanpur, Professor Shahjahan, had introduced a co-education system on public demand and admitted girls at the intermediate and degree levels.

“However, after he retired, the new principal ended the co-education system,” she said. “He not only refused new admissions to girls but also expelled the already enrolled students.”

According to Nusrat Bibi, when people raised objections on the matter, the new principal allowed the students who had been expelled to continue their studies.“However, they were denied admission in third year,”  she added.

A man’s world

When contacted, Hina, a former teacher of Government Postgraduate College, Haripur, accused the principal of Khanpur college of depriving women of their fundamental right to study.

She added, “The college administration has barred Miss Sabreen, the only woman who taught economics, from entering the college premises,” he said. “The principal was against co-education and women who worked alongside men.”

“It is no different from the Taliban’s mindset,” she said.

When approached for comments, Government Degree College Khanpur Principal Azad Khattak told The Express Tribune, “Miss Sabreen did not have a valid contract of appointment from the directorate of colleges and there was not a single female student that opted for economics. As a result, we decided to let her go.” He added there are only nine students in first year, five students in second year, and only two students in fourth year who are studying different subjects.

Out of bounds

According to Khattak, K-P Colleges Director Noorullah Wazir has issued a notification barring him from enrolling girls at the college as it was meant for boys only.

Khattak echoed Wazir’s sentiments, saying enrolling girls in boys college is against traditions and could lead to difficulties. He said providing security to girls in co-ed schools is very difficult.

He said girls who were already enrolled at the school were being allowed to complete their education.

“We are not accepting admissions from women as they have been banned,”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2016.