Boarding schools for girls have also been proposed. PHOTO: FAZAL KHALIQ/EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
The government is planning to set up cadet colleges in the seven tribal agencies and six Frontier Regions (FRs), according to documents available with The Express Tribune.
The documents show the initiative is being taken under the directives of the prime minister and states a scheme has been approved by the FATA Development Working Party (FDWP).
Secretary to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Abid Majeed said both quantity and quality of education needed improvement. “Cadet colleges are vehicles for quality education,” he added. “They are disciplined in education and co-curricular activities.”
Majeed also said the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) examination results from Razmak Cadet College and Wana and Spinkai cadet colleges had been exemplary. “With the spread of cadet colleges to other agencies, more students will have a chance at quality education,” he added.
The official stated these initiatives were in line with the policy to convert to English-medium schools in Kurram, Bajaur, Mohmand and other agencies.
According to Majeed, the establishment of proper English-medium boarding schools for girls with discipline similar to cadet colleges had also been proposed. “We need to improve the discipline and environment of government schools on this pattern too,” he added.
An 800-kanal project costing Rs199.5 million was reportedly approved on May 30, 2013 for a cadet college in Bajaur Agency. Similarly, a payment of Rs19.95 million has been made for land to be used for a cadet college at Ghazi Baig in Mohmand Agency after the entire amount was released to the political agent on June 30, 2013.
As for colleges in Khyber and Orakzai agencies, identification of a suitable site is required by the political administration. The estimated cost for this scheme is Rs110 million with allocations of Rs33 million. Additionally, schemes for cadet colleges in Kurram and Mohmand agencies have been approved by the FDWP for Rs121.2 million, with Rs41.32 million earmarked for the purchase of land in Kurram. Of this amount, Rs6.33 million was released to the Kurram political administration during the last financial year.
A cadet college at Razmak was established in North Waziristan Agency in 1978. Since February this year, the college has temporarily been shifted to Nowshera and is presently housed in the Armed Forces Medical Service Department on Manki Road. The building has been offered by the army free of cost.
For South Waziristan, Rs120 million was placed at the disposal of the political agent to purchase 800 kanals of land during financial year 2010-11. The scheme for the establishment of Cadet College Wana was approved and revised to Rs185.1 million in the FDWP meeting held in November 2011. The scheme is purely meant to meet operational expenditures.
However, while the chairman of the board of governors has approved the creation of posts in the college, these have not been sanctioned. Moreover, the college in Wana is currently being funded by the Annual Development Fund. Cases have been taken up through the finance department to create these posts and sanction the budget from the revenue side.
The Pakistan Army established Cadet College Spinkai in Raghzai, South Waziristan during the year 2011-12. A non-ADP scheme worth Rs195.53 million for the establishment of the college was approved by the FDWP. Regular classes began on April 1, 2012 in the Waziristan Institute of Technical Education building.
Meanwhile, a letter asking to reach a consensus on the location of cadet colleges in the FRs has been addressed to parliamentarians.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2013.
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