PESHAWAR, May 17: The government will set up 20 model schools for boys and girls in Fata to provide educational facility to tribesmen, director Fata education Professor Dr Abdur Rauf Khan said here on Wednesday.

“Two model schools— one each at Khar in Bajaur agency and Parachinar in Kurram— will start functioning shortly while the remaining schools will be set up within two years,” he said during an interview.

He said one model school will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs23 million while highly professional and trained male and female teachers will be recruited for these schools.

Dr Rauf said that a comprehensive programme to award merit scholarship to 200 school students was under consideration. He said under the programme, the Ministry of Education would bear their educational expenses up to FA/FSc level.

He said construction and rehabilitation of 130 school buildings in Fata, with USAID assistance of US$4.7 million and Japan government assistance of $2.5 million, was underway and both the projects, aimed at improving standard and quality of education in tribal belt, would continue till 2007.

In reply to a question, he said 350 community schools were being made operational with the assistance of Norway which had given Rs190 million grant through the National Education Foundation for uplift of education sector in Fata.

When asked about Unicef’s contribution, Dr Rauf said that a project for setting up child friendly schools in Khyber agency had been launched with the assistance of Unicef.

Dr Rauf said NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman was taking keen interest in uplift of education sector in Fata. During the last three years, he said, the number of enrolled students had increased by 66 per cent from 312,131 in 2001 to 519,060 in 2005.

He said the ADP of Education Department had risen by five per cent from Rs518.533 in 2003-04 to Rs1133 million in 2005-06.

When asked about enrolment in higher education, he said 95 percent increase had been registered during last three years, adding that the total students at higher level were 4,208 in 2003 and 8,196 in 2005.

He said 44 industrial home centres for women had been setup with an estimated cost of Rs2.7million to encourage arts and craftsmanship in Fata. Dr Rauf said that BEd classes for women had been started at the Elementary College Jamrud in Khyber Agency, adding that Rs5000 each were being given to students as scholarship.—APP