North Waziristan girls protest against ‘rogue’ teachers

Boycott intermediate exam, hold demo outside press club

MIRANSHAH: In an unprecedented move in North Waziristan, female students and their mothers staged a protest at Miranshah Press Club.

Clad in tribal burqas, students of intermediate boycotted exam on Thursday morning and marched to the press club to register their protest against rogue teachers at invigilation centres who were demanding extortion to let them sit in exam.

Education for girls has returned to North Waziristan years after the Taliban had banned female education.

The Girls Degree College Miranshah was conducting exam for the intermediate classes for the first time in years. However, some teachers told the girls that they would have to pay cash for appearing in exam. Perturbed over the rude and unruly behaviour of the examiners, the students announced to boycott the papers.

Student said teachers at the examination centre were demanding Rs4,000 from each student. When the students went to the college principle, she supported the unjust demand of the teachers.

A protesting student told The Express Tribune that teachers at the hall used abusive language and misbehaved with students.

Moreover, in the examination hall, girls and women take off their burqas for the paper however, a male clerk was doing rounds violating the ‘purdah’ of the women. Male employees, as per law, are barred from entering classes in girls colleges.

Though they protested, the male staff continued ogling at the girl students. In a region where it is difficult for women to get education, such attitude is clear intention of scaring them away.

The students have appealed to the controller of examinations of the Board of Intermediate and secondary Education to take action against the female teachers in exam, male clerk and other relevant staffers who been involved in such heinous acts.

The protesting students urged the Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Governor Shah Farman to look into the matter and provide security to girls seeking education.

Less than 50 female students have managed to appear in the FA and FSC exams in North Waziristan. It is difficult to imagine how many challenges they had to face to reach this level in the extremely conservative society. And now, when they were close to their dream of passing Higher Secondary School Certificate examination, their efforts were foiled by unscrupulous teachers, clerks and employees. 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2019.