June 16, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 11, 1429

PESHAWAR, June 15: Educational institutions are not meant for providing knowledge and training to the children, instead they are being used as a tool to bribe the influential tribal chieftains to seek their allegiance in running the tribal affairs.

Well-placed sources in Fata Secretariat disclosed that political authorities in the tribal region hand out construction of school buildings to the tribal elders in return for their support for government’s plans.

It depends on a tribal elder how he uses the project. Most of them construct buildings and get recruited their tribesmen to run them, others use them as their hujra (male guest house).

“In fact directorate of education has no role in the construction of school buildings. Political authorities recommend sites and approve construction of buildings to bribe maliks and influential people of the area,” said a source.

In Fata, he said, educational institutions particularly primary and middle schools besides basic health units were not at all needed but its main purpose was to grease the palms of influential figures.

“The directorate has been performing as post office in the region,” he said, adding that political agents and assistant political agents enjoyed all powers and had to take all decisions in this regard. Educational institutions in Fata, comprising seven agencies and six frontier regions, are in very bad condition.

Fata Development Statistics, 2007 compiled by NWFP Bureau of Statistics revealed that overall dropout rate in the region was registered 62.61 per cent in the year 2005-06. But directorate officials claimed that the rate had now reduced to 45 per cent among boys and more than 50 per cent among the girls in the year 2007.

Ironically according to the official document, dropout rate among boys and girls in many areas of Fata was more than 70 per cent. For example the report said dropt out rate among girls in the Frontier Region Tank was 84.10 per cent.

In the troubled South Waziristan region dropout rate among boys had been registered 68.94 per cent and 16.67 per cent among girls. In the North Waziristan total dropout rate has been recorded 79.15 per cent, 75.23 per cent among boys and 86.46 per cent among girls.

Directorate officials, however, attributed the dropout rate to the worsening law and order situation and poverty in Fata. They said that due to military operation and insecurity schools remained closed and teachers did not perform their duties. They confirmed that about three per cent school buildings were dysfunctional and had been turned into guesthouses by the influential people.

“Non-local staff and female teachers can’t go to the schools due to insecurity,” said an official. Total enrollment of boy and girls in public sector schools are 563621 in Fata and literacy rate is average. There is one primary school for 85 students in the area.

Officials said that government with the assistance of World Food Programme (WFP) had launched edible oil distribution scheme in schools in Khyber tribal region which had put positive impact on enrollment in the area. The scheme was started in February last and would continue for two years.