Bara girls face higher education crisis
More than 600,000 residents of Bara tehsil in Khyber tribal district have access to only one government girls' degree college, yet the institution is plagued by a severe lack of basic facilities, higher education programmes, transport and security, forcing many female students to abandon their studies or compromise their ambitions.
Students, parents and local elders have strongly urged the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and the Higher Education Department to immediately introduce four-year BS programmes, establish modern laboratories, provide official transport and ensure permanent faculty so that girls of the area are not deprived of higher education.
Najma Abdullah, an Associate Degree (AD) Urdu student at Government Girls Degree College Bara and a resident of Malik Din Khel, told The Express Tribune that the absence of college transport has forced her to live at her grandmother's house near the college because her home is too far.
She said she had initially enrolled in the Microbiology programme three years ago, but the programme was scrapped due to lack of affiliation, resulting in the loss of three precious academic years. Najma wanted to pursue BS Biology but had to settle for AD Urdu because no science programmes are available at the college.
"There is no shortage of talent among the girls of Bara, but poverty, transport problems and lack of higher education facilities compel most students to drop out midway," she said.
Najma also called for government buses to ferry students, noting that many girls travel long distances on foot, which is not only exhausting but also unsafe.
Another student, Sonia Abdul Jaleel, said that while some issues have been partially addressed since the college's establishment, core problems persist, including the lack of proper science laboratories, furniture, fans and adequate security.
Sonia added that the absence of a playground is another major concern for the students.
Asma Batool, a student from Orakzai district who also wanted to study BS Computer Science, echoed similar grievances. "There is no official pick-and-drop facility, and due to the overall security situation in the area, both students and parents feel insecure," she said.
According to sources, at least 20 students are required to launch a BS programme in any subject. Currently, the college is only running an Associate Degree in Arts (Urdu) with 20 students, while 382 girls are enrolled in first and second year combined.
College administration officials said the main hurdle in starting BS programmes is the lack of BS-level laboratories and necessary infrastructure. The existing labs were provided under a Higher Education project, but full-fledged BS programmes require dedicated, modern laboratories for Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry and other subjects.
When contacted for comments, MPA and Chairman District Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) Khyber, Abdul Ghani Afridi, said the college was previously running under a PMU project but its regular SNA has now been approved. He said permanent recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff, including lecturers, class-IV employees, drivers and accounts staff, will be completed soon.
Afridi added that solarisation of the college has been completed and furniture provided. Any remaining deficiencies would be addressed on priority. He assured that all necessary steps are being taken to launch four-year BS programmes, including provision of required laboratories and other facilities.
Regarding transport, he said work is in progress to provide college buses. For security, instructions have been issued to the District Police Officer Khyber to increase police personnel at the college.
"The government is committed to turning Government Girls Degree College Bara into a standard educational institution so that the daughters of the area can acquire higher education in a safe and conducive environment," the MPA said.