Hundreds of govt schools, colleges in FATA remain dysfunctional, closed

PESHAWAR: Thousands in Federally Administered Tribal Areas are sans proper avenues for education as many government schools and colleges in the region are either not functioning properly or are completely shut.

Although most of the displaced people — who were living in school buildings after being repatriated to Fata — have found shelter elsewhere, many schools and colleges still remain dysfunctional. 

This has left out of school thousands of children from the 317,000 displaced families who had gone back to their native areas with the hope of starting life anew on the normal track.

While talking to Geo News, Government Postgraduate College Miranshah Principal Ayub Rehman said they have opened admission at their institute, but even if the students come, they would not have proper classrooms to sit in as there is neither any furniture nor a library or a laboratory.

Officials of the FATA Secretariat have admitted that schools and colleges are closed and dysfunctional, but have claimed there are few such schools which would be opened properly by the end of 2017.

It has also been reported that many teachers registered at government schools in Fata are working in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

However, while addressing the media at Edwardes College, Peshawar on Saturday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said action has been taken against such teachers during which salary received illegally was also recovered.

According to data provided by the FATA Secretariat, there are 5,957 educational institutes — mostly schools — in the tribal areas. 

Out of the count, 812 are not functioning properly due to an absence of teachers or students while 44 are completely closed.

The dysfunctional and closed educational institutes include Postgraduate College and Girls Degree College Miranshah among others.