LANDI KOTAL: As many as 65 primary schools temporarily established in tents as substitute for the fully damaged schools in different parts of Bara have been awaiting reconstruction since their opening in 2014.

According to the figures obtained from the office of Agency Education Officer, these tented schools also included 34 for girls with the number of tents varying according to the number of students in different localities.

Though the exact number of students is not available with the authorities, the residents said that at some places the number had touched 350 in a school of just three tents. Other areas have one or two such tents which could not cater to the growing number of students who have restarted their studies after repatriation of majority of the displaced families of Bara to their respective localities.

These schools are functioning in tents since 2014

The students were troubled due to shortage of space in these tents where they sit on mats with no electricity and toilet facilities. Teachers too are reluctant to perform duties at these tented schools due to shortage of basic facilities.

Faisal khan, a fourth grade student of a tented school in Sipah area, told this scribe that the tents leaked during rainy seasons and had no ventilation facility, making it difficult for them to continue their classes, particularly in summer.

He said that officials of the education department and political administration had paid a several visits to their school, but so far no steps were taken for its reconstruction.

Officials said that the Chinese government had last year pledged Rs1.55 billion for reconstruction of at least 68 of the total 96 fully damaged schools in Bara. Another 55 were partially damaged in incidents of militancy between 2009 and 2012. They said that the monetary assistance was delayed due to some ‘technical complications’.

The officials said that they had started repair of the partially-damaged schools in Bara with the financial assistance of UNDP and the federal government.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2017