School leaves students exposed to elements

Harsh summer heat tests 1,250 pupils studying outdoors in Dir

DIR LOWER:

A higher secondary school in Lower Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has been without building for the past three months forcing 1,250 students to study under the open sky in the harsh summer heat.

Talking to The Express Tribune, local residents said that the Government Higher Secondary School Rabat was established in 1965 but years of neglect and insufficient maintenance have led to the crumbling state of the building.

Despite the government issuing a tender of Rs60.50 million and subsequently awarding the contract, the progress on the reconstruction of Government Higher Secondary School Rabat hit a major setback. The old building was successfully demolished, and construction work on the new building began. However, in February, the project came to a halt due to insufficient funds. As a result, the contractor, who has not received payment, was forced to suspend work on the project.

The school administration has made repeated efforts to seek assistance from the education department in resolving this pressing issue, but unfortunately, their pleas have been met with little success. The lack of financial support has put the school’s reconstruction in jeopardy, leaving students and staff in an uncertain situation.

Consequently, around 1,250 students have been forced to sit on the ground and study under the open sky due to lack of classrooms.

“The weather was really cold in February and these small children had to bear it without a complaint but now it is almost impossible to sit under the scorching sun and study,” said a local elder, adding that government should release funds for the project on emergency basis to solve this issue.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2023.