ORMARA: Ambreen Rafique, 24, appeared for her intermediate examinations privately a few years ago in Pasni as there are no colleges for girls in Ormara — the city she grew up in.

Today, she works as a receptionist at the naval hospital PNS Darmaan Jah — a job she has held since 2013, despite not being a graduate.

“In the last four years I have learnt a lot by just watching and through experience ... I can monitor blood pressure, administer injections and dress wounds,” said Ms Rafique, who attended the Ormara Girls High School.

“I like my job but I want to study and become a doctor ... maybe a naval doctor right here at Darmaan Jah. But there are no medical colleges in this area. Neither are there any training centres where I can at least enrol for courses in medical technology,” she said talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

Pakistan Navy says benchmarks have been lowered in the area to help locals

Sitting in the biology laboratory of the Bahria Model College, Ormara, 14-year-old student Nida Fida Hussain, said she was well aware that this was her final year at school.

“I was just promoted to class 10 so even though I am very happy about starting a new year, I am also worried about my future,” she said. “I have always lived in Ormara and gone to school here but I don’t want to end my education after matric,” said the science student, adding that her father told her not to worry and “he said he would send me to Quetta to pursue my education and after that is done I will to return to my beautiful Ormara and serve the armed forces in whatever way they let me”.

Meanwhile, a small dust storm is gathering in the vast grounds of the Cadet College Ormara. The college building is still under-construction at various points though the other areas just need finishing touches.

On Wednesday, young naval cadets carried out a brief drill in smart blue uniforms.

There were few waiting to give a karate demonstration afterwards.

According to Cadet College’s principal Commander Masoodul Hasan, the hospital, schools and college and Pakistan Navy facilities looked after by the Jinnah Naval Base in Ormara had lower benchmarks for locals in all domains.

The navy sees this as a concrete step aimed at the socio-economic uplift of the local populace, particularly in the fields of education, health and community empowerment.

Deserving Baloch students are patronised through the CNS Sponsor a Child Scheme along with other education programmes while local and other students are accepted into college may have a far lower percentage than the requirement but are accepted nonetheless. Other students are children of people who have been posted to work in the area.

Once at college, these students get a lot more attention than others to bring them up to par with everyone else.

Aware of the need to integrate locals into the national mainstream, particularly the armed forces, the navy has already inducted over 400 locals, who serve within the JNB in Ormara in different capacities.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2017