Two Bajaur schools run with one teacher

BAJAUR:

Despite the provincial government's lofty claims and the allocations of billions of rupees to the elementary education sector, many government schools in the Bajaur tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remain without adequate teaching staff.

Residents of Charming Hilal Khel have urged the concerned authorities to take immediate notice of the situation.

Locals told The Express Tribune that a severe shortage of teachers and staff in two primary schools in Charming Hilal Khel, Nawagai tehsil, has led to a rising dropout rate among children in recent months.

Government Primary School Hilal Khel No 1 and No 2, each with hundreds of enrolled students, are currently functioning with only one teacher apiece. These lone teachers are forced to manage all academic and administrative responsibilities singlehandedly, with no meaningful intervention from relevant authorities.

Tribal elders and youth representatives — including Haji Mumtaz, Satana Gul, Alamgir, Javed, Hamzaullah — have appealed to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, the provincial education minister, elected representatives, the district administration and senior officials of the Education Department to take urgent steps to address the teacher shortage and combat educational neglect in the area.

"Each year we are told that the government has increased the education budget but still most of the schools in the Bajaur tribal district, particularly in the far-flung areas, are operating with missing facilities as well as less staff," they said, adding that Bajaur and Mohmand tribal districts are the poorest in the ex-Fata.

"Education is the only way out for these poor people. They also send their children to schools but it is useless because for five classes there is only one teacher who can't handle and teach these children," they added.