By Fazal Khaliq
MINGORA: Hundreds of people of Swat Kohsitan unanimously demanded of the government to establish schools and colleges in the constantly ignored and highly marginalized area, in a grand Quami Jirga held at Bahrain on Sunday.
They threatened to take to streets if government failed to accept their demand about establishment of schools and colleges in Swat Kohitan.
MNA Saleemur Rehman, MPA Syed Jaffar Shah, District Nazim Mohammad Ali Shah, tehsil nazim, political workers, social activists, civil society members, elders and youth participated in the jjrga organised by Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT) and Alif Ailan in Bahrain on Sunday.
Addressing the jirga, Habibulahh Saqib, the tehsil nazim, said his cabinet would work hard to put pressure on the government for the establishment of more schools in the area.
“Five higher secondary schools, 10 high, 16 middle and 153 primary schools are operating in Bahrain tehsil. Unfortunately, 35 primary schools have only single teacher while the number of the subject specialists in the higher secondary schools is very low,” he said.
According to a survey conducted by Alif Ailan and IBT, there is no middle or high school for girls in the area between Bahrain and Kalam, having a population of 90,000.
Only 26% of all students enrolled in Swat-Kohistan are girls while only 7% of the total enrolled students are girls. The drop out ratio of the girls is 90 % and 47 % is of the boys.
The survey further stated that 69 in 100 middle and high school teachers are non-local while the student-teacher ratio for girls’ primary schools is 1 teacher to 84 students on average.
16 out of a total of 55 primary schools for girls are dysfunctional while 7 boys schools are also dysfunctional.
District Nazim Mohammad Ali Shah in his address said that gathering of so many people for the cause of education was laudable.
He said that education would change the fate of the area.
The participants of the jirga said that no serious efforts were made in the past to construct schools in the area. They demanded of all the stakeholders to work practically for establishing educational institution in Swat Kohistan.
Dr Jawad Iqbal, a representative of Alif Ailan, said that Bahrain was the largest tehsil of the district but it was short of educational institutions.
Zubair Torwali, head of IBT, said that elders of the six union councils participated in the jirga and demanded of the government to establish schools and colleges in the area.
“The area is highly marginalized and completely ignored where educational institutes are insufficient, particularly, girls’ schools and colleges. More than half of the teachers and staff are non-local due to which education is substandard,” he said.
Eng Umer Farooq, a social activist, said that it was the collective responsibility of all to provide education to every child in the area.
Zulfiqarul Mulk, deputy district education officer, said that government under the ‘school improvement plan’ released huge funds to fulfil different needs of educational institutions. He said that the administrations of all the schools must utilise the funds till December 15.
MPA Syed Jaffar Shah said that he would raise the issue on the assembly floor to divert attention of the government towards education.
“I will discuss the matter with the education minister, chief secretary and chief minister to approve schools and colleges according to the demands of the jirga,” he added.
