PESHAWAR: A group of elders belonging to South Waziristan tribal district have demanded of the government to take early initiatives for upgradation of the local schools so that the students could continue education in their own areas.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the elders led by Malik Hasamuddin, Asmatullah Shah and Malik Jamil said that there were no girls high schools for the female students.

They said that the government had announced to upgrade one high and seven middle schools, but the commitment could not be fulfilled despite lapse of about three years. They said that there was no higher secondary school for boys and the students had to say goodbye to their education after doing matriculation.

The elders said that the people had attached many expectations to the merger of former Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the government was not paying heed to resolution of their problems. They said that they had extended full cooperation to the government during the war on terror for restoration of peace and availability of facilities, but the relevant departments were not taking in terest to resolve the longstanding issues.

They warned to observe a sit-in in Islamabad in case the government did not take steps for resolution of their problems.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2021