Dost Ali

MIRANSHAH: The girls primary school in Shalam Kot area of Shewa tehsil in North Waziristan tribal district is presenting the look of ruins and the classrooms are about to collapse.

The school situated in the remote mountainous area has two classrooms and about 60 to 70 children are enrolled in it who are attending their classes under dangerous circumstances.

The owner of the school building, Afsar Ali said while talking to TNN that the building was established 30 years ago, but maintenance work has not been carried out in it since then. He said many students remain reluctant while coming to school owing to its extremely dilapidated condition. He said those children who come to the school run the risk of accident as the dilapidated building of the school can collapse anytime.

Afsar Khan said there is no facility of clean drinking water or washrooms for children in the school. He said inspection teams of the Education Department have conducted several visits to the school and made assurances that it will be repaired, but nothing happens practically. He said the government representatives of the area have also made several assurances to resolve the issue, but practical work is invisible. He demanded the concerned authorities to resolve the problems of the school on priority basis.

Also, the students of Government Boys Primary School Noor Ayaz Kot Haiderkhel in North Waziristan are compelled to attend their classes under the open sky.

The building of the school was destroyed during military operation Zarb-e-Azb against the militants and it could not be reconstructed since then. Local people said about 200 students are enrolled in the school. There is no washroom or sitting place for the children inside the school.

Hussainullah Dawar, a Certified Teacher (CT) at the school, said while talking to TNN that there are only two chairs for teachers and only one blackboard for the whole school. He said the school lacks basic facilities due to which the students and teachers face difficulties.

Executive Engineer Malik Rahimullah Dawar visited the school on November 14 and expressed disappointment over its condition. Rahimullah said the students of the school are intelligent and teachers are also working hard, but they are not getting basic facilities for unknown reasons.