Bombed-out college lacks teachers, furniture

Students of Kabal Degree College protest demanding lecturers, furniture for classrooms and other facilities.

SWAT: Students of Kabal Degree College held a protest on Kabal-Mingora Road, demanding that the government provide the college with lecturers, furniture for classrooms and other facilities.

Students held placards and posters bearing different demands and slogans. They also shouted slogans against the American pastor for planning to burn the Holy Quran.

Hamid Alam, leader of the students’ federation in the college, said, “For three years we suffered at the hands of extremists, because we couldn’t attend classes. The furniture was looted while one of the portions was blown up by the insurgents, and yet nobody paid heed to the matter.”

“There are 1,800 students and we have only 400 desks, our classrooms have no blackboards or chalks, while the portion destroyed by the Taliban two years ago is still lying on the ground,” he said, adding, “the authorities have never come here to assess the damage while 80 per cent of our students sit on the floor.”

Shah Nawaz, another student who was among the protestors, said, “This is the only college here for a population of 600,000 people. Our careers are at risk because of the lack of teachers, support staff and other facilities. We have raised the issue so many times but it seems that education has no importance for the government high-ups.”

“Students have no drinking water facility, washrooms, library, laboratories and electricity. How are we supposed to get education under these circumstances?”

The students demanded the provision of basic facilities immediately. “If they fail to fulfill our demands, it will create a big problem for the authorities and we will be forced to stage more protests,” they threatened.

After successful discussions with the Army personnel, the protest ended peacefully.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2010.