Girls protest teacher shortage crisis

Students demand staff appointments as schools lie defunct

MIRANSHAH:

Students of Government Girls Middle School in Sararogha tehsil, Upper South Waziristan tribal district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, staged a protest against the acute shortage of teachers on Thursday.

Dozens of girls carrying placards inscribed with slogans such as "Give us teachers, education is our right," and "Don't darken our future," demanded immediate action to fill vacant teaching posts. The students alleged that the middle section has no teachers at all, while only two female teachers are available for the primary classes, leaving the learning process nearly dysfunctional.

Parents and local elders accused the Education Office (Female), Upper Waziristan, of being disconnected from ground realities. They criticized the policy of transferring teachers from active schools to non-functional ones, saying it has worsened the crisis. "Our daughters go to school every morning, but find no teachers. We cannot afford private schools. If the government does not act immediately, our children's future will be lost," a parent lamented.

A social activist told The Express Tribune that instead of addressing the problem, officials often pressure parents into silence. Tribal elder Malik Din Muhammad stressed: "If girls are educated, the whole community will progress. The government must resolve this crisis without delay."

Warning of escalation, the protesters threatened to expand demonstrations across Upper South Waziristan and suspend classes in all girls' schools if teachers were not appointed.

According to local activists, more than 250 schools remain non-functional in North and South Waziristan, with severe shortages particularly in girls' institutions. Enrollment figures remain alarmingly low: only 22 per cent at the primary level and less than seven per cent at middle and high school. Observers warn that without urgent government intervention, the fragile "light of education" in Waziristan may fade altogether.