Education [non]-emergency: School remains empty even after a decade

GPS Dhera Atakay remains closed since its construction in 2005 due to land ownership dispute

PESHAWAR: Although the K-P government has declared an “education emergency” in the province and embarked on ambitious schemes such as the Tameer-e-School initiative and Ghar aya Ustad enrolment drive, the situation on ground has not improved much.

Hundreds of children living in Dhera Atakay in Shabqadar tehsil, Charsadda are forced to travel six kilometres daily to attend school in a neighbouring village as the primary school built in their locality has been lying closed for the past 10 years.

Stuck in time

Although it was established in 2005 and equipped with all necessary facilities, not a single class has been held in Government Primary School (GPS) Dhera Atakay as it hasn’t been formally opened due to a dispute over the property and political indifference.

According to locals, they have repeatedly filed complaints with the relevant officers as well as their political representatives but to no avail. The authorities only pay lip-service; they make assurances the school will be opened but fail to take any concrete steps, say locals.

Hidayatullah, a villager, told The Express Tribune around 3,000 people live in Dhera Atakay, but there is no school for their 1,000 to 1,500 children.

According to Hidayat, the construction of GPS Dhera Atakay was approved ten years ago by the then MPA from the area and the school is well-furnished; the only things lacking are students and teachers as it remains under lock and key.

“We have seen various schools which have no basic facilities, but this school has everything, except teachers and students,” he said.

Hanif Khan, another local, said a large majority of villagers are poor farmers and cannot afford to send their children to private schools. Since the nearest school is six kilometres away – a walk of about 60 minutes – only a few families let their children attend school there.

Khan further said political leaders only visit the area during election campaigns, and do not come back once they are elected.

According to Saddam Hussain who owns the land the school is built on, locals have visited the district education officer’s (DEO) office many times and have also requested their MPA to get the school running but their requests have fallen on deaf ears. PTI’s Mohammad Arif is the elected MPA from the area; incidentally, he is also the chairman of the standing committee for elementary and secondary education.

Hussain said there was initially a dispute over the school land between him and his brothers but that has been resolved. “We are willing to provide more land for the school if the government needs it,” he said.

Hussain requested the authorities to open the school immediately as the building has deteriorated because of remaining unused.

Negotiations under way

When contacted DEO Siraj Khan confirmed GPS Dhera Atakay has not been functional since its construction in 2005. He cited various reasons for this.

According to Siraj, the contractor who built the school was the brother of a former MPA and did not construct it as per the government’s requirements. He said 32 marlas were allocated for the school but it was built on 16 marlas instead. When the education department took up the matter with the landowner, his brothers created problems and refused to hand over the remaining land.

Siraj further said the education department is now in discussions with the landowners and a solution would soon be worked out so the school can be opened for the locals.

He added teachers were also appointed for the school after they cleared the NTS test.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2015.