After 64 years, FATA will finally get its first varsity

The Rs3 billion project to raise education standard in restive tribal area.

PESHAWAR:

The provincial government has in principle approved the establishment of a university in Fata and a suitable location is now being identified to construct the university on it. The estimated cost of the project is Rs3 billion.

This was disclosed during a presentation on education in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) given to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Masood Kausar at the Governor’s House on Tuesday.

Fata Education Director Fazal Manan gave the presentation in which Fata Additional Chief Secretary Fazal Karim Khattak, Secretary to the Governor Sikander Qayyum and Fata A&C Secretary Abid Majid were also present.

It was further revealed that Rs2.68 billion has been allocated for Fata education during the current financial year, representing the highest ever outlay for the education sector in Fata.

Fata students are being awarded educational scholarships worth nearly Rs1 billion annually. The governor said that education development in Fata was the top most priority of the government. “Quality education is our ultimate aim and will never be compromised,” Governor Masood remarked.

The governor emphasised efficient monitoring of the educational process in Fata to ensure its quality and continuity and urged that the trend of absenteeism in the educational institutions must be discouraged.

Kausar stressed the need for the promotion of female education in Fata, saying “The female literacy rate is pathetically low and needs to be enhanced considerably.”

On the shortage of teaching staff, the Governor said that the issue would be raised with the federal government. Describing extra-curricular activities as equally important for a student’s physical and mental development, Kausar urged that sports and other healthy activities must be part of our educational development plan for Fata.

On the closure of certain educational institutions in Fata, the Governor was told that in certain areas, education institutions had been closed due to law and order problems and these institutions will be opened when the situation in those areas normalise.

There are 5,620 educational institutions in Fata, including 41 colleges and nearly 300 secondary schools. Male enrolment in these institution is above 0.4 million and female enrolment is around 0.2 million. 20 model schools and 6 cadet colleges are also being opened, out of which 10 model schools and one cadet college in Wana has since become functional.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2011.

The article has been revised to make the following changes:

Correction, May 18, 2011

Due an editing error, the earlier version of the article used the word 'principal' instead of 'principle'. The changes have been made.