Students attend a class in dismal condition at a government primary school in Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency. — Dawn
Students attend a class in dismal condition at a government primary school in Landi Kotal, Khyber Agency. — Dawn

THE Education Management Information System (EMIS), directorate of education, Fata has recently launched a detailed report which is reflective of the dismal situation of education in tribal areas.

According to the report, the state of the schools and most importantly primary grade aged children is in shambles. In a situation where teachers, education staff, the literally dysfunctional bureaucracy and political representatives boast about their actions taken for promotion of education in Fata, it is evident that not much has ever reached the young children sent to government schools to study being the main objective.

The report paints a bleak picture of the Fata education scene where the dropout rate from the primary schools is the highest in the country.

The report says that majority of schools lack basic facilities including drinking water, electricity, washrooms and most of them had no boundary walls. It provides information about 6,050 educational institutions that have enrolled 612,556 students with 22,610 teachers. It also provides information about 518,110 students enrolled in the primary and pre-primary grades.


A report says primary school dropout rate in Fata is the highest in the country


According to the report, there are 6,050 educational institutions in Fata of which 4,868 (2,905 for boys and 1,963 for girls) are functional while 1,182 educational institutions (683 for boys and 499 for girls) are non-functional.

The overall dropout rate from KG to 5th class over a period of last six years is 73 per cent, in which 70 per cent is of boys and 77 per cent is that of girls at primary level. The report records overall literacy rate in Fata 24.05 per cent, male literacy rate is 36 per cent while that of female stands at 10.50 per cent per the estimated rate recorded in 2013 through Bureau of Statistics, Fata. The teacher-student ratio in the primary schools is 1:50.

The report narrates that 1,182 schools, mostly primary schools, are not functional due to a number of reasons that mainly comprise militancy and terrorism. The report also provides information about the fact that the primary grades has experienced a dropout rate of 73 per cent, which means that majority of the primary aged children ultimately dropout of the education fold before completing primary. The dropout rate from primary schools in Fata is perhaps the highest in the country.

The report is part of series of such reports published yearly yet little tangible action is taken by education mangers and people involved in bureaucracy. The report tells a sorry state of affairs as according to it 1,686 schools are without boundary walls, 2,777 schools are without drinking water facility and 3,146 schools are without toilet facility in Fata. The directorate of education situated at Fata Secretariat, however, has no significant plans for improvement.

A source at the Ministry of Safron in Islamabad told this scribe on condition of anonymity that focus was largely on construction of new schools. “The federal government allocates billions of rupees to the education sector every year, yet its function has rarely been truly measured,” he added.

The source said that although education activities in Fata were suffered by militancy and terrorism, yet in the areas where schools were functional, the performances of teachers and bureaucracy remained shameful.

“Around 690 schools have been destroyed by terrorists throughout Fata. There is an urgent need for its reconstruction,” he said.

It is also worth mentioning that some families of political representatives “own” several schools in Fata to benefit from the salaries. At least in three agencies, the salaries of staff were not distributed through bank accounts raising questions on transparency as well as accountability, the source said.

Fazalullah, spokesperson for Fata Secretariat, said that they were working on a comprehensive education policy for Fata in the light of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan’s directives.

He said that under the policy, construction of new schools would only be allowed where it fulfilled the basic criteria and not for obliging a Malak. The salaries of such so-called teachers had long been stopped, employees of schools would make its sure that they received it in person, he added. He said that army was extending full assistance to the project and till then 78 schools were reconstructed, which, he claimed, would be made functional soon.

“Also the governor has stressed that reconstruction of schools destroyed by militants should be expedited,” said the spokesperson, adding that provision of basic facilities to the existing schools in Fata was their top priority.

He said that furniture was being provided to every school in Fata to facilitate the children. He claimed that transparency in distribution of salaries to teachers had been fully ensured.

Leader of Fata parliamentarians in National Assembly Haj Shahji Gul told this scribe that tribal people needed a drastic administrative change.

“Unless powers are devolved to tribal people and the officials in the current situation are made accountable to public, there will be no substantive change in the life of people. We are in favour of complete overhaul of Fata,” said Mr Gul.

He said that education being panacea to all problems should be the government’s top priority where youngsters should be provided with pens and books instead of guns and drugs.

The situation calls for immediate steps as the future of almost half a million children is at stake as Fata aspires to see more peaceful future. If the situation is not addressed immediately, the young minds dropping out of the schools risk being influenced by extremist ideology. These despondent young minds can provide seeding ground for external and extremist forces which would negatively counter all positive actions that are part of the National Action Plan.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2016

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