PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government during its tenure, has worked towards improving the education system in the province. Despite the efforts to provide all facilities in the government-run schools, there are still thousands of schools without these basic facilities.
According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department (KPESED) from 2013 to 2018, more than Rs36 billion have been spent under conditional grant schemes to provide basic facilities in schools.
However, an annual report compiled by Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) for K-PESED for 2017-18 stated that out of 27,350 functional schools, 7,182 schools do not have basic electricity.
The report showed that there are 21,033 primary schools and 6,388 schools are running without electricity. Moreover, 794 schools out of 5,538 secondary schools are in a similar condition.
The report further stated:
- 2,203 schools including 346 girls schools are without boundary walls, despite KP government’s strict orders to construct boundary walls around all schools, after the Army Public School massacre in December 2014.
- 5,047 schools including 1,298 girls schools have no clean drinking water facilities
- 2,229 schools including 1,854 boys and 375 girls schools have no toilet for students and other staff members.
However, KPESED Minister Muhammad Atif Khan shared on his social media page that the provincial government had spent Rs36 billion on the education sector and provided solar electricity to 5,773 schools. Moreover, boundary walls had been constructed around 16,173 schools and additional classrooms in 14,158 schools.
He further claimed that the government had provided furniture for 1.5 million to the students and teachers, provided clean drinking water facilities in 15,624 schools, constructed toilets and sports facilities in 10,000 schools.