K-P education department shuts down 150 schools
According to new education policy of provincial government, all schools with less than 50 students have been closed
Out-of-school figures have gone up even as education minister says additional steps taken to improve condition. PHOTO: EXPRESS
HARIPUR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Elementary and Secondary Education Department, on Friday, said that it had closed down 150 schools in the district during the last three years owing to the low enrollment of students.
The students and staff of the schools which were closed have been shifted to nearby institutes, the department said.
According to the new education policy of K-P government, on the basis of enrollment and distance with other schools, all instituitons having less than 50 students have been closed.
Under the new policy, 150 schools for male and female children were shut down in the period between 2015 to 2017, including three middle schools for boys, 141 primary schools, and nine schools for girls.
K-P schools losing more children than before
People belonging to the areas where most of the schools have been closed cannot enroll their children into educational institutions because of a variety of reasons, APP has learnt.
Some of them cannot afford the fares of public transport or send their children to school in special vehicles. Others claim that in hilly areas, the terrain makes it difficult for their kids to commute the distance to school, and they would much rather prefer to stop the education of their children, particularly female students.
While talking to APP, General Member Tehsil Council from Union Council Beatgali of Ghazi Qari Noor Hussain said that after closure of the primary female school in his village, 15 to 20 students out of a total of 27 had dropped out.
"It is because their school was merged with the one in Lall Khanpur Kaneer Banda, which was 1.5 kilometers away, and owing to difficult terrain , the parents did not allow the children to travel the distance," he said.
K-P to launch afternoon classes, offer transport for out-of-school children
Hussain further said that real victims of the K-P education policy are the people of hilly areas, where there are few roads or vehicles, and parents are reluctant to let their children walk to school in the current security climate.
District Education Officer (DEO) Haripur Omer Khan Kundi told APP that the provincial government has shut down 100 primary schools which were initially established as 'One room, One teacher' and later converted to primary schools, but had failed to enroll the required the number of students to justify their expansion.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Elementary and Secondary Education Department, on Friday, said that it had closed down 150 schools in the district during the last three years owing to the low enrollment of students.
The students and staff of the schools which were closed have been shifted to nearby institutes, the department said.
According to the new education policy of K-P government, on the basis of enrollment and distance with other schools, all instituitons having less than 50 students have been closed.
Under the new policy, 150 schools for male and female children were shut down in the period between 2015 to 2017, including three middle schools for boys, 141 primary schools, and nine schools for girls.
K-P schools losing more children than before
People belonging to the areas where most of the schools have been closed cannot enroll their children into educational institutions because of a variety of reasons, APP has learnt.
Some of them cannot afford the fares of public transport or send their children to school in special vehicles. Others claim that in hilly areas, the terrain makes it difficult for their kids to commute the distance to school, and they would much rather prefer to stop the education of their children, particularly female students.
While talking to APP, General Member Tehsil Council from Union Council Beatgali of Ghazi Qari Noor Hussain said that after closure of the primary female school in his village, 15 to 20 students out of a total of 27 had dropped out.
"It is because their school was merged with the one in Lall Khanpur Kaneer Banda, which was 1.5 kilometers away, and owing to difficult terrain , the parents did not allow the children to travel the distance," he said.
K-P to launch afternoon classes, offer transport for out-of-school children
Hussain further said that real victims of the K-P education policy are the people of hilly areas, where there are few roads or vehicles, and parents are reluctant to let their children walk to school in the current security climate.
District Education Officer (DEO) Haripur Omer Khan Kundi told APP that the provincial government has shut down 100 primary schools which were initially established as 'One room, One teacher' and later converted to primary schools, but had failed to enroll the required the number of students to justify their expansion.