Over 400 K-P public schools operate in rented buildings costing millions to exchequer

Upgradation is the main reason for temporarily shifting to rented buildings, says official

PESHAWAR: Over 400 public schools are operating in rented buildings in 20 districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the provincial government is doling out millions of rupees from public funds in this regard.

According to official data, 400 primary and 11 middle schools currently operate in rented buildings.

Talking to The Express Tribune K-P Elementary and Secondary Education Department representative Najiullah Khattak said the upgradation of hundreds of schools is currently underway leading to schools temporarily shifting to rented buildings or government schools.

Around 2,300 schools' uplifting has been completed so far while others are still in process, he added.

Khattak went on to say that in hilly areas the majority of schools have been damaged or destroyed by the earthquake back in 2005 or flooding which has also led to private building being used.



The provincial government, he also said, has started work to restore those schools and a majority of them are complete now.

Mansehra has topped the list with 45 primary schools using rented buildings followed by Dera Ismail Khan with 43 primary schools.

Moreover, the other breakdown of primary schools are: 35 in Abbottabad; 30 each in Charsadda, Nowshera, Kohat, Swabi, Shangla and Malakand; 26 in Peshawar; 21 in Mardan; 19 in Swat; eight in Karak; seven in Tank; four in Battagram; five in Lakki Marwat; three in Haripur, two in Chitral and one each in Bannu and Hangu.

The number of middle schools that operate in private buildings are 11 which include two in Shangla, one each in Battagram and Haripur, three in Mansehra and two each in Swat and Abbottabad.