SIALKOT, Sept 23: Doors for students of over six government girls primary schools in Bajwat villages — Papeen, Jog, Khanu Bhau, Beli Minhasaan, Bheince and Ghazipura — have finally been shut with the closure of their institutions. Shortage of the teaching staff, almost run-down structures of school buildings and lack of interests of local politicians and education department officials are the reasons of their permanent closure.

In addition, several schools have already become deserted since long for one or the same reason and have virtually turned into cattle sheds.

The recently-closed schools had been established during the regime of the late prime minister Muhammad Khan Junejo. Since the day first, these institutions remained the victim of sheer neglect.

Now local students have to travel several kilometres to reach Sialkot daily for getting education. While villagers have started housing and tethering their cattle in these deserted educational institutions.

The state of affairs in school buildings, in most of villages in Bajwat area, including Khanu Bhau, Papeen, Saddarpura, Gangwal, Kaliyaal and Ghazipura, is no different either.

Residents of these areas have strongly protested against the miserable condition of government school buildings and shortage of the teaching staff. They held the education department and local politicians equally responsible for this ugly situation.

Councillors of Saddarpura village — Muhammad Shafi, Ghulam Husain, notables Sufi Ahmad Khan, Haji Abdul Rashid, Mehar Inayatullah and notables of other villages said there was no concept of basic and primary education in their villages.

“Although almost all the primary schools have finally been closed, they are still ‘alive’ in official documents of the education department,” they said.

They have urged President Pervez Musharraf and Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to take stock of the situation.

Functionaries of the Sialkot education department refused to make any comment in this regard.