TIMERGARA: Residents of militancy-hit Maidan here on Thursday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to immediately arrange shelter for students of government schools for taking annual examinations.

Talking to mediapersons, they said that several government schools destroyed by militants in 2009 and 2010 in Maidan still awaited reconstruction. They said that annual examinations of schools were due to start in a couple of days and the students would face difficulties during rains.

The elders of Dafoor, Maidan, said that a total of 410 students, including 110 girls, were enrolled in the government high school, Dafoor. They claimed that 115 students of class 6th had no shelter to be seated. Besides, they said that the post of principal and five other posts were lying vacant for a long time.

They said that an NGO had rebuilt four rooms of the school, but those were not enough to accommodate all the students.

The residents of Bandai Maidan and Mirgam also complained about shortage of classrooms in the schools. They said that the school management had no option, but to accommodate the students in nearby mosques for examinations during rain. The Maidan elders said that the PTI -led government was doing nothing for reconstruction of damaged schools.

Head teacher of the government high school, Dafoor, Najeebullah told mediapersons that the school had no funds to arrange enough shelter for the students and they would be seated in nearby mosques during rains.

Former governor Shaukatullah, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and then senior minister Sirajul Haq all had taken notice of the matter last year when a photograph showing students holding umbrellas and solving papers during rains was published by newspapers.

Afterwards, officials and representatives of different NGOs visited the area, but took no steps for building the schools, Engineer Hanifullah of Jamaat-i-Islami recalled. He said that the students of Bandai Maidan, Dafoor and Mirgam would face the same situation again. He demanded of the education department to make immediate arrangements for the examinations.

When contacted, district education officer, Lower Dir, Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim, however, rejected the impression that there was space shortage in Maidan schools. He said that the schools in the area had enough classrooms to accommodate students.

He said that the total strength of students in GHS Dafoor was 310, while grade 9th and 10th students would appear in examinations at GHSS Zaimdara which had a spacious examination hall.

The DEO said that all arrangements had been made to conduct examinations in Maidan schools. He said that majority of schools had been rebuilt.

Meanwhile, the University of Malakand has arranged a training workshop for its administration officers, heads of faculties and employees. The workshop is aimed at providing technical information to the participants about finance, audit and other matters. Director finance, Agriculture University, Peshawar, Dr Mohammad Zulfiqar was the guest speaker on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play