GHALANAI: The long delay in the reconstruction of 20 government schools destroyed by militants in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency has denied basic and primary education to the local children.

Ghalanai assistant agency education officer Abdus Sattar told Dawn on Wednesday that the parents were unwilling to send their children to such schools for fear of militant attacks.

More than 50 government schools were damaged or destroyed by militants in Safi tehsil, including Lakaro Degree College.

Three schools were reconstructed by the Pakistan Army, while work on six others is underway.

Mohmand Agency has a total of 592 educational institutions, including 378 for boys and 214 for girls.

Among them are three colleges, two higher secondary schools, 31 high schools, 65 middle schools, 463 primary schools, 17 community school, eight mosque schools and three industrial home centres.

The Fata Secretariat’s education department has already decided it will close down more than 100 non-functional government primary and middle schools in the agency under the ‘rationalisation programme’.

A relevant official told Dawn that the non-functional schools had been merged with nearby functional ones.

The AAEO said more than 20 primary schools functioning in Qandhrai, Sheikh Baba, Karer and Sagi aeas for girls and boys had been closed down due to unavailability of students in adequate numbers.

He said teaching staff of the closed schools had been sent to schools in other areas.

Mr. Abdus Sattar said 126 government schools were blown up by militants in the agency and 14 of them had been reconstructed, while work on 25 was in progress.

He said reconstruction of 16 schools was part of the next annual development programme.

The local residents have demanded the early reconstruction or repair of schools damaged by militants.

PROTEST AGAINST POWER CUTS: Tribesmen on Wednesday morning took out a rally against the excessive loadshedding in Mohmand Agency’s Prang Ghar Utmankhel tehsil.

The protesters mostly youths blocked the Yousaf Baba Road in Prang Ghar Chowk for around three hours shouting slogans against the Tesco for their misery.

They demanded local lawmakers ensure smooth power supply to them.

The protesters agreed to disperse only after Prang Ghar tehsildar Ajam Khan showed up and assured them of the corrective measures by Monday.

They however warned they would block all roads in tehsil if the prolonged power cuts didn’t end by Monday.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016