August 4, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 24,1423

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LANDI KOTAL, Aug 3: Despite a lapse of five years and repeated requests to the authorities concerned six regular and five community-based primary schools in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber Agency are without teaching staff.

Construction work on the four girls and two boys primary schools had been completed some five years back with each school consisting of three rooms, a verandah and two bathrooms. Land for these schools was provided by the elders of the area free of cost. But now they are repenting their act as all their requests for the appointment of teachers had fallen on deaf ears.

Each school was supposed to have five-member staff comprising two Primary Teacher Certificate (PTC) teachers, one theology teacher (TT), one caller and one watchman. The last two posts were promised to the land owners.

Regular schools awaiting staff appointment are Girls Primary school (GPS) Gula Mir Pirokhel Kaley, GPS Arsala Khan Ashkhel Kaley, GPS Hukam Khan Sultankhel Kaley, GPS Ali Kaley Shiekhmalkhel, Boys Primary School (BPS) Meenadar Subedar Kaley Loe Shalman and BPS Aashaq Kaley Mirdadkhel.

Sources said these schools were constructed after a joint feasibility survey conducted by the education department and the political administration of the Khyber Agency in 1998-99 for the construction of five community-based primary schools in Landi Kotal.

In all, 30 schools were sanctioned by the education department for Khyber Agency. Four locations at Jan Wali Kaley Loe Shalman, Bismillah Khan Kaley Kam Shalman, Nurab Gul Mabikhel Kaley and Rasool Gul Sheikhwal Kaley were selected for the construction of schools in Landi Kotal.

On all these locations, not only land was provided free of cost a single-room building was also constructed by the land owners. While 16 such schools in Bara tehsil and 9 in Jamrud tehsil are now fully operative, the Landi Kotal chapter of the same project is still awaiting provision of teaching staff.

Talking to Dawn Education Officer Khyber Agency Razi Hussain said in all 960 posts of teachers were sanctioned for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

He said written tests and interviews for the said posts had been conducted but the State and Frontier Regions Department (Safron) had failed to sanction funds for same purpose.