PESHAWAR: Students belonging to various tribal regions have urged the government to reconstruct the damaged buildings of educational institutions in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, People’s Students Federation Fata president Jahangriz Khan Mohmand said that hundreds of schools were destroyed and damaged in tribal areas but government was yet to reconstruct their buildings.

He said that a large number of educational institutions had been closed as a result of lawlessness and military operations in Fata and the ultimate sufferers were students. He said that despite knowing the facts, the officials concerned had failed to take initiatives for reconstruction of schools in Fata.

Mr Mohmand said that at least 1,034 educational institutions were damaged across Fata. He said that Fata was abandoned and none of the successive governments ever bothered to take any serious step for welfare of the tribal people.

Tribal students seek proper sports facilities

He said that Fata had deliberately been kept backward in all fields, particularly in education. He said that education should be the first priority of the government as tribal people suffered badly and Fata was ignored by authorities.

Mr Mohmand said that there was no medical college and university in the entire Fata while schools and colleges were turned into rubble and remained closed owing to military operations in the tribal areas.

He said that government should focus on promotion of education in Fata so that the new generation of tribal people could get knowledge and face future challenges.

The PSF leader opposed quota system in educational institutions for tribal students and demanded of the government to abolish it so that they (tribal students) could get admissions on open merit. “We will soon launch campaign for improvement of education system in Fata,” he added.

Mr Mohmand said that tribal people were not terrorists. The students would also work to remove negative perception about them, he added.

The PSF leader urged the government to provide proper sports facilities to tribal students and construct new playgrounds besides allocating special funds for the purpose so that they could also take part in the national and international sports events.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2016