GHALANAI: Future of 40 community-based educational centres in Pandiali and upper Prang Ghar tehsils of Mohmand Agency is uncertain as the task of managing these has been handed over to local people who neither have resources nor experience to run the centres.

About 2,500 students are enrolled in these centres set up in 2013 by NGOs, Human Resources Development Network (HRDN) and the Help and Need with the assistance of International Rescue Committee (IRC).

HRDN community mobilisation officer, Farooq Khan, said from now on the local communities would run these educational centres on self-help basis as the project was successfully accomplished.

However, he said the local people were too poor to run these schools.

Mr Farooq said the each education centre had two teachers who were appointed from among the local community, but now they had been rendered jobless.

However, he said education department officials had promised to provide free textbooks to the students of these schools.

Shafiullah, a teacher in the community school of Kota Gai in Prang Ghar, said the local tribesmen were upset about the winding up of the project.

Another teacher, Wisal Khan of Loya Shah in Pandilai, suggested that the education department should take over these schools and provide all the facilities to teachers and students.

It is to be mentioned here that the Fata education department has already decided to close about 102 government schools, including primary and middle, under the rationalisation programme in Mohmand Agency.

Ismail Khan, physical supervisor in the agency education office, said the government schools that did not meet the enrolment and proper distance criteria would either be shut or merged with other schools.

LOADSHEDDING RESENTED: People of Mohmand Agency have expressed concern over excessive power loadshedding in the area.

Talking to journalists at Mohmand Press Club on Sunday, people of Safi tehsil said 22-hour loadshedding had made their life miserable.

A tribesman, Nisar Ahmad Gurbaz, said the people of Lakaro, Mamad Gat, Qandharai, Chenari and Gurbaz areas were hit hard by excessive power outages.

He said they had complained to Tesco authorities time and again but no action was taken to bring down duration of loadshedding.

He said prolonged power suspension also created severe water shortage forcing people to fetch water from distant areas.

Another resident of Ato Khel, Ismail Khan, said they were facing over 20-hour loadshedding which was intolerable.

The tribesmen said besides excessive loadshedding they were also facing low voltage problem.

When contacted, a Tesco official told Dawn that the government had decided to carry out 18-hour loadshedding in those areas where consumers did not pay utility bills or where electricity was stolen.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2016