A RECENT survey conducted by the KP government and UNDP paints a bleak picture of the state of education in the newly merged tribal districts. According to the survey, more than half the population of the seven tribal districts remains illiterate. Only 22pc of the population has studied up to the primary level, and 10 and 7pc of the people have studied up to the middle and Matric levels respectively. Given these figures, it is no surprise that only 3.5pc of the population has been able to attain an Intermediate degree. Though public education is in a shambolic state all over the country, with the national literacy rate hovering around 60pc and more than 25m children out of school, the tribal region was dealt a particularly severe blow due to the activities of militant organisations that operated from there. Memories of the destruction of girls’ schools in the area are still fresh.

The sociopolitical dynamics are also reflected in the literacy figures for each district. At 61.2pc, South Waziristan has the highest percentage of illiterate people. This is not surprising given that this particular region was the bastion of the outlawed TTP as well as other militants after 9/11. Only 16pc of the population in this area has received a primary education. Meanwhile, in North Waziristan, where military operations displaced nearly 100,000 people in 2014, around 55.5pc of the people remain illiterate. Figures for the other tribal districts are: Orakzai 55.2 pc, Kurram 37.7pc, Mohmand 54.2pc, Bajaur 54pc and Khyber 50.8pc. Now that these areas have been merged with KP, the provincial government should make a concerted effort to build schools and colleges there and ensure proper teaching facilities. It is imperative that the people of the merged districts do not feel that they are still marginalised and do not have the same opportunities as Pakistani citizens elsewhere in KP and the rest of the country. Not ensuring their rights can prove disastrous especially given the tenuous situation across the border with Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2021