September 10, 2003	Wednesday	Rajab 12, 1424

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LANDI KOTAL, Sept 9: The only girls higher secondary school in the tehsil is facing a host  of problems, resulting in a number of dropouts recently.

Of the school’s 37 students, six left it because of lack of educational facilities.

The intermediate section had been without physics, English and computer science teachers for more than a year.

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas education department had appointed a physics teachers some time back, but she refused to join the school. The subject is taught by a man from the degree college on temporary basis.

A student complained that the science laboratory lacked apparatus and chemicals, while the library was locked. The sports equipment were lying locked in a cupboard, she said.

She said that the new furniture allotted to the school was also lying  locked in a room while the old furniture was mostly broken.

The education department recently provided seven computers to the school, but they had not been unpacked as there were no teachers of computer science, she said.

A science teacher said there were no proper boarding facility in the school and they had occupied classrooms for living and the students were made to take their classes in the staff room or, sometimes, in the principal’s office.

She said some students had also put up with their teachers due to lack of boarding facility.

The teachers also faced transport problems, she said.

Another student alleged that the school administration overcharged them at the time of admission.  She said that despite paying library, laboratory and sports funds, they were denied those facilities.

US DONATION: An American discovery centre was inaugurated at  the government degree college here on Tuesday.

The principal officer of the United States consulate in Peshawar,  Arlene Serinn, inaugurated the centre, comprising a computer, a shelf and educational software.

The centre is part of an educational gift package by the US mission to various cities. Around 150 such systems would be distributed in the country.

Students of the college thanked the US officials.