SWAT: Hundreds of girls deprived of admission in local girls colleges for want of seats have demanded of the provincial government to immediately arrange alternative facilities for them so they could continue their education.

They were protesting outside the Government Girls Postgraduate College, Saidu Sharif, after they were denied admission in various disciplines of BS as there were no more seats there.

According to data of admission section of the postgraduate girls college, as many as 3,104 girls applied for admissions against 320 available seats in eight disciplines.

“I have done FSc from this college, but I have been denied admission in the BS programme. There are hundreds of other girls like me who have been denied admission here though all of them want to receive education. It is responsibility of the government to provide us with educational facilities,” said Summaya, a resident of Mingora, who was standing among the protesting girls.

“Unfortunately, there are few colleges for women in Swat and this is not the first time that over 2,000 girls have been deprived of chance to get education only in this college. Every year, over 4,000 girls are denied admission in the government colleges in Swat valley,” said Anmol, another girl seeking admission.

Prof Nargis Ara, principal of the postgraduate girls’ college, said the college did not have sufficient seats to accommodate every admission seeker. “Thanks to DDAC chairman Fazal Hakim this year he approved 10 additional seats in each discipline so we will give admission to about 80 more girls in our college,” she said.

She demanded of the government to immediately arrange a rented building near the college so that all the girls might get admission in BS programme.

“We have approved construction of a new building in the existing college and also a new college for girls in Saidu Sharif to resolve the issue,” said Fazal Hakim when contacted.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2020