BAJAUR: The residents of Ghar Shamozi area in Barang tehsil here on Thursday staged a protest against lack of teachers in the local government middle school for boys.

They threatened to hold a massive demonstration outside the offices of education department if the issue was not addressed immediately. The protest was held in Kandoo area that was attended by people in a large number.

The protesters said that the lone middle school in the area had been without teachers for the past more than four months. They said that the number of sanctioned posts of teachers in the school was 10 as par the policy of education department.

However, they alleged that they had never seen the sanctioned number of teachers in the school since its establishment a decade ago. They said that there had been only two teachers in the school since its establishment.

The protesters said that the two teachers had also been absent from their duty since December 15 last year. They said that 500 students were enrolled in the school. They said that lack of teachers in the school deprived local children of their right to education.

They also criticised local lawmakers for not taking interest in the issue. They said that MPA Ajmal Khan and his brother former MNA Guldad Khan belonged to Barang tehsil but they failed to resolve the issue.

The protesters demanded of government to take serious notice of the issue and appoint teachers in the school at the earliest. They said that people would take to streets if the issue was not resolved within a week.

They said that a massive demonstration outside the offices of education department in Civil Colony Khar would be held in the coming week if their demand was not met.

Some elders on the occasion also complained about shortage of drinking water, health and other basic needs in the region. They said that their area was ignored in the development projects.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2024