PESHAWAR: Hundreds of buildings meant to have educational institutions in the newly-merged tribal districts during the last one decade have begun to crumble due to non-use as the successive governments failed to provide teachers and enrol students to make them functional.

Officials told Dawn that the buildings, where schools and colleges had yet to be made functional, were put up under the federal government-funded Khushal Pakistan Programme and Senators’ quota as well as the regular annual development programmes for the defunct Fata.

Official documents show that 770 buildings of educational institutions, including one degree college for boys, 358 primary schools, and 12 information technology labs, 54 high schools for boys and girls, 325 middle schools for both girls and boys, and 12 model schools, were put up constructed under the Khushal Pakistan Programme and Senator’s quota in seven merged districts and six subdivisions.

These non-commissioned educational institutions require appointment of 4,450 employees, while financial implications total Rs1.47 billion.

In addition, over 800 buildings were put up from ADP funds meant for the defunct Fata, which have the same status.

Officials blame it on past govts’ failure to appoint teachers, enrol students

A relevant official told Dawn that summaries seeking the appointment of staff to schools and colleges had been pending with the federal ministry of state and frontier regions since 2006. He said the directorate of education for the newly merged districts recently sent a fresh summary for the filling of vacant posts of teachers to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa department of elementary and secondary education.

The official said the department would refer the Sanction of New Expenditures (SNEs) to the finance department for creating posts in those non-functional education institutions.

He also said Rs4.1 billion allocated for the provision of missing facilities in schools in merged districts hadn’t been utilised with the third quarter of the current fiscal ending at the end of the current month.

“We recently inspected 121 schools in South Waziristan tribal district and found only 11 of them to be functional,” he said, adding that billions of rupees were spent on their buildings.

Mohammad Yousuf, resident of Razmak area in North Waziristan district, said his village had got building for the girls primary school in 2005 but staff hadn’t been provided for the school. He said funds for the building were allocated from the schemes recommended by then federal information minister Mohammad Ali Durrani.

“The condition of the school building is getting worst. It needs major repair,” he said.

Sources said the matter related to fresh recruitment of teachers and allied staff in educational institutions in newly-merged districts was discussed during a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair on Dec 31, 2018.

They said the prime minister had directed Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and quarters concerned to resolve the issue at the earliest.

“The subject issue of creation of posts (SNE) has also been taken time and again with SAFRON/Finance Division and repeatedly recommended by standing committees of the two Houses of Parliament that the posts may be created the earlier, but all went futile,” said an official note addressed to secretary of the elementary and secondary education department.

Sources said the federal government had fixed timeline for KP government in last Dec to ensure the provision of staff and missing facilities to various sectors, including health and education.

They said under the timeline, the elementary and secondary education department would fill vacancies in educational institutions to provide jobs to the locals and improve service delivery.

Sources added that for the purpose, the Independent Monitoring Unit was created to check 14 indicators, including enrollment, attendance of staff and students and missing facilities in education institutions in merged tribal districts.

They said the unit had begun activities in Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber tribal districts but couldn’t do so in the remaining districts due to the winter vacation.

Sources said the department concerned would determine and sanction posts for new facilities within six months as determined by the timeline.

A senior official in the directorate said the finance department might not be able to approve SNEs for vacant posts in merged districts’ schools and colleges before the next annual budget was announced.

The KP government recently announced the creation and filling of 15,000 posts in various departments in merged districts during the next three months.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2019