LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Jan 8: Education officials in Khyber Agency have unearthed some 15 ghost schools in the remote Tirah valley during the annual inspection of the area.
These 103 schools were established in May 2003 on the recommendation of education department situated in various localities of Tirah valley as part of compensation to the local population in lieu of construction of Zakhakhel road over their lands. Every school had two teachers and a watchman.
Almost all teaching and lower staff posted at these schools are the close relatives of those in whose names these schools were sanctioned by the political authorities. On Dec 4, 2003 the Khyber Agency Education Officer Sayed Razi Shah Kazmi sent an inspection team headed by Assistant Education Officer (Literacy) Bahadar Khan to Tirah valley. The team remained in the area for two weeks.
Outof the 15 schools, nine had notevenstarted functioning. The 27-member teaching and lower staff posted at these schools were regularly drawing salaries for the last seven months.
The rest six schools were closed down on Dec 1, 2003 for winter vacations without seeking the permission of the Fata education department. Schools in the upper areas of Khyber Agency are closed for winter vacations on Dec 25.
The nine permanently closed schools were: Khan Anwar in Mehraban Kalay, Dr Nasrat in Tangu, Yaheedullah in Dwa Thoy, Hazrat Mir and Sher Hasan in Sra Vela, Talam Khan in Serhai, Mulla Juma Gul in Sporhai, Chinar Gul in Sur Kas and Wilayat in Toor Sapar areas.
The rest six includes Zewar Jan at Baagh, Rahim Shah at Sur Kas, Nasim Khan at Ghazi Daman, Nasar at Cheengai, Said Amin at Pak Darra and Naway Gul at Narai Nao.
Acting promptly upon the receipt of the inspection team's report, the Khyber Agency Education Official has immediately stopped salaries to all the teaching and lower staff of these schools.
The staff posted at these schools had so far unlawfully withdrawn Rs 777,000 during the last seven months. Mr Razi Shah Kazmi told Dawn that all the nine schools, found closed during inspection were permanently closed downand services of the staff posted at these schools had been terminated. He said that show cause notices had been served on the teaching staff and owners of the rest six schools. "If they also failed to give satisfactory reason, they too would be taken to task," he added.
Mr Kazmi further said that show cause notices to another five teachers of Latif Khan Killi High School were also issued for their continuous absence from duty. At present they are transferred to far off schools in Loe Shalman.
GROUND LEVELLING: Authorities in Khyber Agency had started ground levelling at the Pakistan-Afghan border of Torkhum as part of road expansion and widening of area around the gate.
A number of bulldozers and land movers are working at the site. The Khugakhel tribe had earlier threatened to stop the expansion work if they were not duly compensated for acquisition of land and construction of a Custom Complex at Torkhum.
The area around the gate and offices is owned by the Zakhakhel tribe of Landi Kotal. An official posted at Torkhum told Dawn that the ground levelling was part of the expansion project and once the levelling was completed, offices of tehsildar and customs would be built at that place to pave way for the road expansion.
The political administration had assigned the task to the Communications and Works department for the time being as the National Highway Authority had not yet completed its initial study on the proposed Torkhum-Jamrud Express Highway. The NHA is in contact with both the Asian Development Bank and Islamic Bank for financing the road project.