SWAT: More than 2,800 girls were refused admission to the only postgraduate college for girls in Saidu Sharif owing to a shortage of seats.

The girl students and their parents, who applied for admission to various BS disciplines, told this scribe that they were deprived of getting further education due to limited seats in the Postgraduate Girls College Saidu Sharif.

They said that there was only one girls’ college for about 784,000 residents of Barikot and Babozai tehsils.

They said that despite getting high marks and passing their FA and FSc in A and A-1 grades, they were refused admission.

“I do not want to quit education but strongly desire to pursue higher studies. Unfortunately, we have only one government college here where BS is offered. If I can’t get admission here, it means I would not get further education,” said Kainat, a resident of Saidu Sharif.

The students demanded of the government to establish another college in Mingora or Saidu Sharif on an emergency basis so that they could get an education.

An official of the college, when contacted, said that about 3,198 girls applied for admission in the current year but the college had eight disciplines with the capacity of 320 seats.

The principal got approved 80 additional seats keeping in view a large number of applicants.

However, only 400 students could be admitted, said the official.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2021