Promoting literacy: Political agent, elders strive to make primary education compulsory

“Those parents who don’t educate their children should be convinced to send their children to schools,” says Rahim.

PARACHINAR:

The political administration officials in Parachinar deliberated the implementation of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) Compulsory Primary Education Regulation 2002 and fining those opposing education in the agency.

Kurram Agency Political Agent Yousaf Rahim, Additional Political Agent Zafarul Islam Khattak along with Fata Local Area Development Programme (FLADP) Coordinator Syed Awlad Hussain and various tribal elders met at the political agent’s house on Sunday.

It was decided in the meeting that the Fata primary education regulation would be implemented, making primary education mandatory in the agency. FLADP Coordinator Hussain suggested it would be the parents’ responsibility to educate their children and if they refused to do so, they would be fined or arrested.

Political Agent Rahim said since peace had been restored in the agency, the political administration and tribal elders would strive to implement this law and promote it in other parts of Fata.

“Education is the basic right of every child,” stated Rahim, “Those parents who don’t educate their children should first be convinced to send their children to schools.” Rahim continued that the next step should be penalising those who refused.

“Our target is to educate children between the ages of five and 10 in Kurram Agency,” said the political agent.

President Headmasters Union, Marjan Ali appreciated the steps to educate children in the agency. He claimed Kurram had the highest literacy rate in Fata. “After the Compulsory Primary Education Regulation 2002 is enacted, the rate of education will improve and other areas in the region will also benefit.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2013.