Schools in parts of Reko Diq, a mineral-rich town in the Chagai district of Balochistan, have been closed for the last several years. Teachers are absent, facilities are non-existent, and schools wear a desolated look.

One such school is in Killi Hummai. About 15 kilometres from the main site of Reko Diq, Government Primary School Killi Hummai has been closed for a long time.

“There was one teacher when Tethyan Copper Company (TCC) operated in the area. Our children would regularly go to school,” recalls Taj Mohammadzai, a resident of Killi Hummai. “Now our children collect wood, wander around the mountains aimlessly or hunt down birds.”

TCC abandoned the ‘government’ school when it was sent packing following a tussle over the mining rights with the government. The multinational company had hired one teacher who would show up at school every day unlike government teachers who drew salaries regularly but remained absent.

But the teacher quit following the closure of TCC operations in the area.

Situated in the far north-western corner of Balochistan, Killi Hummai is a tiny village. Schoolteachers do not stay in the village because it’s remote, although it doesn’t stop them from drawing salaries. This is why there are few educated people in the area.

According to Mr Mohammadzai, there are only two educated people in Killi Hummai: one has completed his matriculation and the other has passed intermediate (12th standard). “Other than these two, we don’t have any educated people here.”

People are so poor that they can’t afford to send their kids to other towns for education. The area has no cellular network. “The tehsildar visits Killi Hummai once every few months. Who should we ask to give us our fundamental right?”

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, September 23rd, 2019