Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa : Ready-to-use school remains closed since 2009

It may have been ready to start educating children in 2009, but the doors of the Government Girls Middle School Urmar Bala remain firmly slammed in students’ faces.  

Urmar Bala is one of rural union councils of Peshawar district. Locals say the education rate for girls is only one-third that of boys and most of the female students end up dropping out after the primary level due to the lack of facilities.

GGMS Urmar Bala was approved by former MPA Khalid Waqar Chamkani in 2009 and locals donated two kanals of land so that girls could get an education. The building was about two kilometres away from the main settlements of the area.

However, the school’s doors are locked and it is devoid of all staff despite the fact that locals lodged several complaints with the education department.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Faridullah, a resident of Urmar Bala who donated land for the school, said he parted ways with his property for the sake of girls’ education in the area. However, he is disheartened to see that authorities seem least concerned.

“I have bulldozed my orchards and donated my land to this school, but my dream of girls’ education is yet to be realised,” he added.

Although he hails from an educated family, his three daughters are deprived of an education in the absence of a school. “I felt it was necessary to provide land for the school,” he added.

Faridullah said girls of this union council get educated till the primary level but cannot go to another UC for higher education. He urged the government to appoint staff for this school as it is ready and all kinds of facilities are available in this school.

GGMS Urmar Bala has four rooms and an open ground, as well as electricity, running water and toilets. Dropout rates for female students are also increasing fast in Urmar Payan, Badhaber, Mathra and Sharkira due to the lack of facilities.

Another resident, Zakirullah, said there are hundreds of schools in the district which lack basic facilities, but GGMS Urmar Bala has all the necessities. “And yet, it has been closed for the last five years,” he said.

“Every year, around 100 girls in this union council get primary education but cannot continue with their studies due to the lack of a high school.”

He pressed the elementary and secondary education department, its minister and area representatives open the school for girls.

When contacted, Peshawar District Education Officer Samina Ghani said the ownership of the land, on which the school is built, has not been transferred to the education department. She added the government approved the school and it is the responsibility of the communication and works department to construct the building and hand it over to education authorities. The officer said teachers will be appointed once the paperwork is complete.

She said thousands of teachers were appointed in Peshawar district while authorities have also advertised for other posts. Ghani said the matter of this school will be brought to the attention of authorities.

However, talking to The Express Tribune, the K-P Elementary and Secondary Education department Director Rafiq Khattak said he has no information on this school. He assured he would enquire about the school and investigate its prolonged closure.