SHANGLA: Over a dozen government schools for girls in Shangla district have been closed, while a majority of primary schools for girls have been functioning with a single teacher since January 2023, with educators fearing a decline in girls’ education.

Official sources told Dawn that over a dozen schools in parts of Shangla had been completely closed since January 2023 when the caretaker government in the province was installed.

They said teachers were transferred from schools to their preferred educational institutions on the recommendations of the local leaders.

The sources said six primary schools had been non-functional since their establishment in the last five years.

Over dozen girls’ schools closed, while most primary schools operating with one teacher

They said the directorate of education in Peshawar was requested many times for the appointment of staff, but no action was taken.

The sources said the schools in remote areas were either closed or had just one teacher due to the transfer of others in the last two years.

They said the closed schools were located in Maira and Kormang union councils of Bisham tehsil, Damorai and Pir Khana UCs of Kana tehsil, and villages of Puran and Martung tehsils.

Mufti Mehmood of Chichlo told Dawn that his village had a girls’ primary school but it had been non-functional for two years.

He said currently, the school was used as a guest house (hujra).

Mian Sahibzada of Kormang claimed that there were two primary schools in his area but they’d been closed for a long time due to the unavailability of teachers.

Kashif Khan of Kabalgram said the only primary school for girls in his area had been non-functional for one year.

Lawyer Sarwar Yousafzai of Damorai said boys struggled with studies in makeshift buildings due to the destruction of their schools by the 2010 flash floods.

He said a few girls from the area were enrolled in private schools.

Dawood Said Haroon of Sarkool in Chakesar area said the local girls’ primary school in Ranzra Sar had been closed due to the unavailability of teacher.

He said the locals formally approached the education department several times for teachers’ appointment, but to no avail.

Rahim Badshah of Maira revealed the closure of the government girls’ middle school in Matai Bala for over a year and said the students’ future was at risk for having no access to formal learning.

Shahwali of Alpuri said the government girl primary school Naredaly was non-functional.

He said some of the students were attending the boys’ primary school.

Resident Ijaz Khan said a girl primary school was set up in the Shwar Maira area five years ago but it had yet to become functional despite several requests to the department.

Nawabzada, an educator from Bisham, told Dawn that closure of schools or running them with a single teacher had increased the dropout rate in the area.

He said following a 2022 order of the Peshawar High Court, the education department made it mandatory for a primary girls’ school to have at least two women teachers to prevent the students’ learning losses in case of the absence of one teacher.

The educator said the local girls were denied their fundamental right to education.

When contacted, district education officer Parveen Rehman claimed that no school was closed in the district.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2024