Bajaur girls miss middle school

In this modern age, Mandal area of Tehsil Salarzai in Bajaur tribal district has been without any girls’ middle school despite the fact that the area has a population of 40,000.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that there were a total of seven government schools in the area out of which six were for boys and one for girls.

“There is only one primary school for girls for a population of 40,000. There is no middle or high school so the girls have to quit school after primary education,” they said, adding that there was only one high school for boys.

A local general councilor Lal Wahab told The Express Tribune that no steps have been taken to promote girls education in the area.

“For a long time the Govt Girls Primary School was closed due to shortage of staff and when it was opened sufficient staff was not provided to run the school,” he said.

“You know about the local traditions. People don’t send their girls to other parts of the district like Khar for schooling because it is unsafe and local customs don’t allow it,” he said.

Another local elder said that they demanded time and again from the government to approve more girls as well as boys schools for the area but no one paid any heed.

Another local elder Haya Khan Advocate said that his wife is a schoolteacher in a middle school and he would like to be posted near her home but due to lack of a school nearby she has to go to other schools.

“If a school is established then it is much convenient for the students and teachers of the area. There should be middle and high as well as higher secondary schools in Mandal,” he maintained.

Another local Chairman Farman said that people supported PTI in the elections but the elected representatives completely ignored the area which was unfortunate.

“Schools up-gradation was approved recently but no school of Mandal was included in the scheme,” he observed, adding that recently the provincial government approved 12 new primary schools for Bajaur out of which 10 are girls schools but still Mandal was ignored. “Six schools will be upgraded from primary to middle and 20 high schools will also be upgraded to higher secondary level but the only high school of our area is not included in it,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2022.