MARDAN, July 21: A large number of girls and boys in Mardan district are facing an uncertain future after many of them failed to gain admission to government degree colleges this year. A large number of academically gifted students would have little choice but to sit in their homes. With a population of over 1.6 million, Mardan is the second largest district of the province. Although the number of students runs into thousands, there are only a few degree colleges in the district. A majority of students flock to the two degree colleges in Mardan, one of which caters to boys and the other to girls

It is interesting to note that in the year 2000 the then governor of the province Syed Iftikhar Hussein sanctioned another degree college for girls for the city and a building was found near Premier Sugar Mills but the then district nazim sold it to the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (Bise).

The district nazim pleaded that the building was not in a secure area and was not suitable for girls. Many parents questioned the wisdom of selling the building to the board.

Work on another site was started but even after five years the degree college building was not constructed. Female students suffered a lot during this period.

A large number of students, particularly those on the periphery, have excelled in their studies and secured more than 800 out of 1050 marks. But much to their disappointment they found it difficult to gain admission in colleges.

Since there were no intermediate colleges in other parts of the district, these bright students sought admission in nearby colleges but they were refused on grounds that they were from other areas.

A provincial education minister in the last PPP-led government introduced a policy of “feeding schools” under which only students of the area would be preferred even if they secured only 400 marks and those who were out of “feeding schools” would be rejected even if they had more than 800 marks.

Admissions committees at government colleges, for both males and females, have stopped admission on 850 for science students. This move has hit a large number of students.