GHALANAI: A primary school in Michnai area of Mohmand Agency, which was blown up by militants three years ago, is yet to be reconstructed, forcing students to receive education sitting in the open.

A schoolteacher told Dawn on Monday that the education department had provided tents to the school located in Sherpano Kali village after the building was blown up, but the militants also burnt the tents. He said they had made several requests to the authorities concerned for reconstructing the building, but to no avail. “Each time we were told that the area is disputed between Mohmand Agency and Charsadda district and the school could not be reconstructed without resolution of the dispute,” he said.

The teacher said there was no furniture or any other facility in the school, adding it has only one black board and no table or chairs for teachers. An official of the agency education department said a letter had been sent to the administration and Fata education director for reconstruction of the damaged schools in the agency.

PASHTO LANGUAGE: A private school in Mohmand Agency has started teaching Pashto as compulsory subject from class 1 to 6 from current academic year.

The elementary and secondary education department (ESED) had notified to the authorities concerned for implementing a decision to introduce Pashto and regional languages as compulsory subject in schools after the then ANP-led provincial government approved it in May 2011.

The management of the Mohmand Public School and College, which has taken lead in introducing the Pashto subject, told Dawn that Pashto would be taught as compulsory subject from class 1 to 6. It said the Pashto subject would be replaced with an optional subject from class 6 onwards.

According to the plan, Pashto was to be introduced as a compulsory subject from grade 1 to 6 with effect from academic session 2012-13 in all schools, including private ones, in Pashto-speaking areas of the province, including Fata.

However, the education department has not bothered to check whether or not the private schools have implemented the order.

Private Educational Institutions Association’s, Mohmand Agency President Nowsher Khan said they had not introduced Pashto subject in private schools as the education department had not informed them about any such decision.

GOVERNOR CHECKS TUNNEL: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra on Monday inspected work on the under-construction Nahqai tunnel in the tribal agency. The governor took a stopover here while going to Bajaur Agency. He was received by Mohmand Political Agent Mahmood Aslam Wazir.

On the occasion, FWO officials informed the governor that tunnel project started in February 2014 was to be completed in two years, but due to hard mountainous area the work was delayed. During the visit, the governor also opened the anti-polio campaign by administering oral vaccine to a child. Later, he left for Bajaur Agency.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2016