MINGORA: “I can’t grasp what my teacher explains to us as my attention is diverted by the loud voices of two other teachers taking class in the same room,” complains Akhtar Zada, a third grader at the government primary school in Sigram village.

The child comes to the school daily but fails to learn anything due to the noisy environment and the little space in the classroom to sit.

Built in 1978 some seven kilometers from Koza Bandai village in Kabal tehsil, the school is one of the 1,335 government primary schools in Swat district. Around 300 students are enrolled in different classes there. Currently, the school has three rooms for six classes with five teachers but lacks toilets, furniture, fans and other facilities.

Its veranda is being used as the head teacher’s office and staff room, where students attend a class, too.

Until 2015, the school had two rooms for educational and staff activities but later work on an additional room began after funds were allocated for it under the school improvement programme.

Ironically, the proposed room has yet to be built.

“It is very hot and noisy in the rooms but we relax when our teachers take classes in veranda or in the lawns. But whenever there’s rain and scorching heat outside, we sit in the room,” Fazal Maula, a second grader, told Dawn.

300 children attend classes in three-room, ill-equipped Swat village school

Another student said he had no choice but to study in that school due to poverty otherwise he would’ve enrolled himself in one of the private schools, which had spacious rooms, enough chairs and washrooms, and vast playgrounds.

“Here we don’t have enough space to sit let alone chairs and fans,” he regretted.

Teacher Hamidullah said he was very enthusiastic about educating children, mostly members of poor families, after learning about appointment to the school but his enthusiasm vanished after joining duty. “It is not possible to teach children properly under such sad circumstances,” he said.

The teacher said he and other tutors delivered lectures in the same room one by one. Another teacher, Shah Zahid Khan, also complained about unavailability of enough classrooms. He said the education department officials frequently visited the premises and promised early provision of facilities during every visit but the promises later turned out to be false.

Students and teachers demanded construction of new rooms and provision of other facilities without delay.

When contacted, Hussain Ahmad, a member of the District Parent Ittehad, said the organisation had taken up the matter with the relevant authorities and elected representatives for corrective measures.

Local MPA and adviser to the CM on livestock and fisheries Mohibullah Khan insisted he would visit the school and ensure the early provision of facilities.

“The two-room schools were constructed during the last government but we changed them to seven-room primary schools. Seven-room building will be constructed for all new primary schools, while new rooms and facilities will be provided to the existing schools,” he said.

Published in Dawn September 18th, 2016