KARAK: Adviser to the chief minister on prison affairs Malik Qasim Khan Khattak on Monday said his constituency, Karak, had 54 ghost schools, which questioned the performance of the education department.

He was addressing a private school opening ceremony in Chokara area here on Monday.

The adviser said the existence of ghost schools in the district was a failure of the education department.

He said he would ensure the elimination of cheating from examinations including the Secondary School Certificate exams scheduled to be held in March.

Mr. Khattak said if cheating materials were found in an examination hall, then it would be closed instantly.

He appreciated the private sector for spreading education in the district but said the privately-owned educational institutions should focus on imparting quality education to youths to enable them to become good citizens.

The adviser said the promotion of education was the top priority of the PTI government in the province and that millions of rupees had so far been spent for the provision of missing facilities at the public sector schools.

He said the government had initiated mega development projects in the district, while work had resumed on the remaining portion of Karak-Darratang Road and would be completed at the cost of Rs750 million.

Mr. Khattak said the Kohe Maidan Road had been constructed at the cost of Rs200 million.

He said he had ensured the start of work on the supply of drinking water from Lawagher dam on gravity line to different localities of Takht-i-Nusrati tehsil.

The adviser said the project would be completed at the cost of Rs380 million.

He approved the establishment of a full-fledged computer laboratory for the private school.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2016