Haripur villagers threaten to protest school’s relocation

Villagers claim decision has been influenced by political considerations

HARIPUR: Residents of villages in Chapra, Haripur have threatened to protest if Government Higher Secondary School for Girls is shifted to another area.  

The education department recently decided to shift higher secondary classes to a school in Noordi and has converted the school in Chapra into a high school.

Locals maintained the school in Chapra had been upgraded to a higher secondary school by then then provincial minister for education Qazi Muhammad Asad Khan in 2010. “He had also sanctioned funds of Rs20 million and constructed another wing next to the existing school,” said Haqnawaz Khan, a local villager.

Abdul Rasheed, another resident, said they have raised the matter with the education department. “However, we have been informed that the school is a high school and the new building in Chapra will not hold higher secondary classes,” he said.

Many villagers claim the decision has been influenced by political considerations.

“The department appears to be focusing on political point-scoring,” said Basit Khan, another villager. “It has forgotten that the school has allowed girls from 14 villages to get an education. This decision will prevent girls from gaining access to higher education.”