KHAR: The government primary school for girls in Nawagai teshil of Bajaur tribal district has been closed for the last three years owing to unknown reasons, according to local people.

They said that it was the lone school for girls in Bara Kamnagra. They said that they didn’t know about the reasons of the closure of the school. However, they said that lack of staff could be the main reason of its closure of the school.

“We don’t know actual reasons of the closure of the school but according to my information the school was closed three years ago owing to absence of staff,” said Akbar Ali Khan, a resident of the area.

Official says lack of staff main reason

The local people told this scribe that it was among the oldest public educational institution in the region, established some 20 years ago. They said more than 300 students were enrolled in the school before its closure.

They said that not only the local students were enrolled in the school, but a number of girls from nearby areas were also studying there as it was the lone educational facility for the girls of more than 20 villages.

Janool Khan, a resident of the area, said that Kamangra was the most backward area of the district where overall literacy rate was very low. However, he said, the school contributed to promotion of education among the girls of the region.

Initially, he said, local people were not in favour of female education, but when some residents enrolled their daughters in the school then almost all residents of the area started imparting education to their children.

The local people said that closure of the school forced most of the students to quit education as there was no other school in the region. They said that some girls, who belonged to well off families, got admission in a school in Nawagai.

They said that there were two teacher in the school, but they were absent from duty. They said closure of the school also affected its building and equipments.

A senior official of education department, when contacted, confirmed that the school had been closed for the last three years. He said that lack of staff was the main issue of its closure.

However, he said that they were making efforts to reopen the school as soon as possible by appointing new teachers.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2019