Parents urge K-P govt to rebuild crumbling school

Students report visible cracks in walls and ceiling as school nears point of collapse

BANNU: Parents in Bannu district have warned the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Education Department to reconstruct the government primary school Kass Kali Wazir Muhammad Khel as due to its poor infrastructure it is soon going to collapse and poses a threat to the students’ safety.

Local elders, parents and students staged a protest at Wazir Muhamamd Kali of the Kas Korna on Saturday. They held placards and chanted slogans against the district education officer and also condemned the K-P Ministry of Education.

While addressing the gathering the parents have said that the school building is in such a shabby condition that the walls and ceilings have visible cracks in them and material from the roof falls on the students on a daily basis.

“We knew that our children have a fundamental right to education but we cannot let it happen if it costs us their lives. Therefore, we demand that the building should be demolished and a new building should be reconstructed in its place or we will have it locked down till further action is taken by the ministry,” said a parent in protest.

He added that they have urged the District Administration and the K-P Education Department to take notice of the issue but they always turned deaf ears to the calls. This has led parents to take matters into their own hands. They are now planning to shut down the school due to safety hazards.

Besides the crumbling building, the school also lacked basic facilities, but they continued to tolerate it. However they could not make such a compromise when it came to the lives of their children.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st, 2019.