LAKKI MARWAT: A newly built high school in militancy-hit Shah Hasankhel village was opened on Wednesday after the administration held successful talks with the landowners.

The project was approved by the previous provincial government of Awami National Party when the village was targeted by a suicide bomber in January 2010. More than 100 people were killed in the attack. The suicide bomber had detonated an explosive-laden truck at a volleyball ground in the village.

The previous government had declared Shah Hasankhel a model village and approved a comprehensive development package for it. Under the package, a high school for boys was built to enable the local students to get secondary education near their homes.

The previous government had also directed the local authorities of education department to start classes in the abandoned building of a middle school on temporary basis.

The communication and works department completed the school project and handed over the building to education department. But a villager, who had donated 10-kanal free of cost for it, did not allow the officials of education department to make it functional as he wanted to appoint his own people as Class IV employees in the school.

The project was approved for Hasankhel by the previous govt after a suicide bomber targeted the village

The provincial government reportedly sanctioned four posts of Class IV employees for the school. On the other hand, another villager, on whose land the temporarily functional middle school was built, locked the institution and demanded his share in the posts of Class IV employees sanctioned for the high school.

The elders of the village approached the officials of education department and brought the closure of middle school and non-functioning of the newly built high school into their notice.

On the request of district education officer, Deputy Commissioner Syed Zafar Ali shah tasked Assistant Commissioner Qayyum Nawaz to visit the village and make the newly built high school functional.

Mr Shah also directed the assistant commissioner to arrest those villagers, who were not allowing the officials to make the school functional.

The assistant commissioner along with members of Marwat Qaumi Jirga, officials of education department and a police contingent visited the village and held talks with the both the landowners.

After successful talks, the high school was opened and teachers and students were shifted to it. The landowners and elders of the village assured the assistant commissioner and jirga members that they would cooperate with teachers to run the school smoothly.

Published in Dawn, October 30th , 2014