Nearly 275 schools non-functional in KP: report

Poor law and order, lack of teaching staff and other members and land disputes cited as major causes for closure of institutions

Almost 275 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are non-functional due to a lack of staff, land disputes and security issues, a fresh report reveals.

The report was jointly compiled by government and non-governmental organisations working for education in the province.

The main reasons cited in the report behind the closure of the educational institutions are poor law and order situation, lack of teaching staff and other members and land disputes.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led (PTI) government in KP allocated the highest amount for education, earmarking 27.4 per cent of the total budget, but the fresh report presents a gloomy picture of the provincial government towards education. It adds that qualified teachers are not available in majority of the schools.

According to the report, 15 schools are closed or non-functional in Nowshera district, 17 schools in Education Minister Atif Khan’s district Mardan, seven in Speaker Asad Qaiser’s district Swabi, seven, including five girls schools, in Peshawar, 40 in Mansehra, 37 in Swat and 14 in the district of Buner.

Likewise, 23 schools are closed in Haripur, 20 in Upper and Lower Dir, eight in Bannu, four each in Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Shangrila, Tank and Karak, eleven in Hangu, two in Chitral, six in Battagram and three in Torghar.

According to the documents, as compared to the 115 boys schools, more than 160 girls schools, including primary, middle and high, are non-functional across the province.

According to the education department, more than 3,000 educational institutions were destroyed in earthquakes, floods and acts of terrorism in the province. It also said that majority of these schools have no boundary walls.

An official at the education department said they recently conducted a test through NTS for the recruitment of more teaching staff.