LANDI KOTAL, March 31: Education officials of the Khyber Agency will distribute around 84,350 books free of cost to more than 14,000 girl students in the agency.

The Assistant Education Officer (Literacy), Bahadar Khan, told Dawn that his department had established six distribution centres in the agency. The books would be provided only to girl students up to class three, he added.

These distribution centres have been established in Bara sub-division, two in Jamrud sub-division and one at tehsil headquarters Landi Kotal. He said 5,811 girl students of First Junior level, 4,328 students of class one, 2,436 of class two and 2,250 of class three would be benefited from the free distribution of books.

Book stocks, he said, had already been dispatched to all the six distribution points, and hoped that the process would be completed within two weeks.

Mr Khan said initially only girl students would benefit from the plan and, in future, his department would recommend free distribution of books to boy students. The present scheme, he said, was aimed at attracting more girl students to education in the tribal areas.