Quest for knowledge: Girls being forced to study at boys’ school

Govt high school in Jabb lacking basic facilities.

HARIPUR:

Shehrnaz Bibi is sceptical about her future, as her parents will not allow her to attend college far from home.

“I have made up my mind that I will learn to cook and help my mother with household chores, just like other girls in the village. My parents will marry me off one day and I will spend the rest of my life as a housewife,” she dejectedly told The Express Tribune during a visit to Government Boys’ High School in Jabb, a hilly area 55 kilometres from Khanpur.

The school, which was established as a primary school in 1958, was upgraded to a middle school in 1976 and later to a high school in 1980. It was originally meant to cater to a population of 30,000 people belonging to eight villages, including Jabb.

(Read: Female illiteracy - 41% of Pakistani girls fail to complete primary school)

However, since the village does not have any educational institute for girls, the local authorities allowed the admission of female secondary school students in the boys’ school.

“Currently, there are 35 girls studying in both 9th and 10th grade. The overall strength of the school is 222,” said Mehboobur Rehman, the school’s head teacher.

He explained that even though the school was primarily built for boys, upon local people’s request, the education department allowed girls to study here till matriculation level.

“We are a conservative society and we don’t allow young girls to mix with boys. However, since there is no high school for girls, we are left with only two options; either stop them from going to school, or face ‘humiliation’, as we are facing now,” said Raja Babar, a notable of the area. He said he had taken up the matter with the MPA and officials of the education department on several occasions, but has yet to receive any positive response from them.

The school’s parents teachers’ committee chairperson Abdul Majid Qazi said that the committee has taken up the matter with the district coordination officer, showing their willingness to arrange classes in two extra rooms at the school.

“I want to be a pilot and fly in the air, but how is it possible when the government has not constructed a separate high school for girls, even after six and half decades,” said 9th grade student Gulnaz.

The girls also complained that they were not allowed to opt for science subjects, even though many of them were highly interested in studying them.

“I want to become a doctor and serve my poor community, but the school administration does not allow us to opt for science subjects, as there is no science teacher for girls and no laboratories in the school,” said 10th grade student Sadaf.

“Although girls work harder than boys and excel in board examinations every year, they are barred from taking science subjects,” she added.

However, Rehman explained that the school had only one post for a science teacher, and even that has been lying vacant for several years. In order to facilitate the students, he himself took the science classes.

It was also observed that the school lacks basic facilities such as washrooms, a library, a playground, indoor game equipment, potable water, and a science laboratory.

Neelam Raja, another student, said the girls find it very awkward that they cannot step out of the classroom, even during break time. “Since there are no washrooms in the building, even for boys, students have to go to a nearby mosque,” she added.

Raja Javed, a retired teacher and a notable of the area, explained that the school is not owned by the education department, which is a major factor behind the lack of development. “Under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, the school property belongs to local land owners,” explained Javed.

Former Pind Kamal Khan Union Council nazim Malik Rashid Awan explained that a higher secondary school for boys consisting of four rooms was built three years back at a cost of Rs7.5 million. However, it has still not been commissioned for reasons unknown.

Meanwhile, Education Executive District Officer Riaz Khan Swati said that he would take up the matter with the provincial government and do his best to have a separate high school for girls set up.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2011.