MIANWALI, Sept 14: Female education in several rural areas of the Mianwali district is still a distant dream, as there are hardly any institutions for them to get higher education. However, people have started raising voice for the education of girls and parents are forced to send their daughters to Chakwal district or Mianwali city for that.

After a long wait, the residents of Dhurnaka village, one of the far-flung areas, are fortunate to have a school building. The Government Girls Higher Secondary School project has been made possible by the efforts of Maj-Gen Nazakat Ali Khan, who reportedly secured Rs10.25 million grant from Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool. Dost Muhammad Arian, a retired soldier, donated two acres for the project.

The school building was completed last year and handed over to education department in May 2003. The building comprises 32 rooms and two laboratories. However, it is yet to be inaugurated and the people of the area are anxiously awaiting its formal opening.

The school exists only on paper, as the district education office has failed to launch classes at the school. The EDO of education is learnt to have been at odds with the provincial education department. The EDO had sent requisition of 40 posts for the school and got approval for 35 and those, too, after a long delay.

It is alleged that some of the district government officials are hampering the launch of the classes. People have demanded the Punjab governor and the chief minister to take stock of the situation and order immediate launch of the classes.