TIMERGARA: The Lower Dir education department has planned to install biometric system in all government high and higher secondary schools in the district to ensure 100 per cent attendance of staff members on duty.

This was stated by district education officer Hafiz Mohammad Ibrahim while chairing a meeting of school heads at the Education Complex Hall, Balambat, on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by head masters and principals of middle, high and higher secondary schools of Lower Dir.

The DEO told participants that certain amount of money had been deducted from the salary of 66 teaching and 82 nonteaching employees of schools in the district over absence from duty on the independent monitoring unit`s recommendation.

He said the department had planned to fill all vacancies at schools either through promotion or NTS test.

Ibrahim said NTS had been asked to recruit people for 824 posts in Lower Dir.

He said the department was using all available resources to improve the standard of education at government schools in the district.

The DEO said Rs 58.3 million had been released for the purchase offurniture.

`Furniture is being supplied to government higher secondary schools, the other schools will get it soon,` he said.

GAS SUPPLY: Residents of Jandol on Wednesday demanded early start of work on gas supply to their area.

Local elders told reporters here that former livestock minister Haji Hidayatullah had secured the government`s approval for Sui gas supply to different parts of PK-95 constituency, including Jandol area.

They said land was dug up and pipes were brought to the area but the project was shelved after the 2013 general elections.

The elders said pipes lied by the roadside, while the dug-up land had yet to be refilled to the misery of motorists and pedestrians.

AIOU WORKSHOP SCHEDULE: The Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Islamabad has announced schedule for its BEd and PTC workshops in Lower Dir.

AIOU district coordinator Ali Haidar told reporters here that BEd and PTC workshops would begin on Aug 17.

GOVT FLAYED: Qaumi Watan Party MPA Bakht Baidar Khan on Wednesday criticised the provincial government for removing hundreds of employees working under the labour and manpower department.

He told Dawn here that it was unfortunate that 930 employees of labour and manpower department had been removed.

`It is the government`s responsibility to provide jobs to qualifie d and deserving youths but the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is depriving employees of jobs instead,` he said.