MINGORA: Students of the government boys higher secondary school, Kalam, on Wednesday warned to stage protest demonstrations against the unavailability of course books and science teachers in their school.

Setting a three-day deadline the students said if the education department didn’t make available the required teachers and books they would block the Mingora-Kalam road and observe a sit-in till the fulfillment of their demands.

Talking to reporters in Kalam, they said 2015 was coming to an end but they had not been provided their course books. They said no science teacher was available in the school and thus they had not taken any science class yet.

“We have asked our teachers again and again to provide the books but in vain. We have only English and Urdu subjects teachers available for higher secondary classes,” Ahmad Aslam, a first year student, said.

He said students came to school daily expecting their books and also science teachers but returned disappointed.

“Our precious time is being wasted by the education department and KP government but nobody cared. This is strange that the KP government, on the one hand, is making tall claims about raising standard of education, and on the other no practical steps are being taken in this regard,” Nazir Khan, also a first year student, lamented.

The students questioned the KP government’s claim of spending huge budget in the education sector.

When contacted, deputy district education officer Zulfiqarul Mulk, told Dawn there were five subject specialists in the school but three of them had been transferred out of the district by the education directorate. He said the district education department had nothing to do with the transfers.

“Books are distributed in the month of April and at the time of distribution there were 72 students in the higher secondary section. Later, the strength increased to 117, and the remaining students would soon be provided the books,” he assured.

BUS STAND RAIDED: Babuzai tehsil nazim Ikram Khan along with naib nazim and tehsil councillors and police personnel raided the general bus stand in Mingora city on Wednesday and evacuated it from illegal transport contractors.

He also ordered the municipality staff to run the bus stand till the awarding of the new contract.

He also ordered sealing of the illegal taxi stands near the bus stand and directed the district police to take stern action against those who operated illegal bus stand.

Nazim Ikram Khan directed his staff to charge only Rs1,400 from the buses leaving for Karachi instead of Rs24,000 earlier taken by the private contractors, which will help reduce the fares. He directed the transporters to facilitate passengers.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2015

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