MINGOR A: A protest march was staged by students, their fathers and civil society members on Tuesday against the KP government`s decision to close down all the 93 maktab schools in Swat district.

NGOs Alif Ailan and Idara-i-Jwand Social Welfare Manglawar organised the protest with the participants saying over 2,000 children enrolled in the schools in Swat would be affected with the closure of the schools. They said students of the maktab schools in Manglawar union council were worried that they had lost the opportunity to study further.

The maktab school system was introduced in remote areas to educate children up to primary level. However, In April, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to merge these schools with the government primary schools.

The protesters complained that in some areas government schools were inaccessible to schoolchildren. `We had a maktab school nearby while the government primary school is located some five kilometers from our home and as we cannot walk that far daily we left the school,` said Fauzia and Basit Khan, who were students of maktab school Batra which has been merged into government primary school No 1, Manglawar.

The children demanded of the government to reopen their schools or arrange alternative facility closer to their villages.

`Governments in other countries increase the number of schools while our government is busy snatching educational facilities. I appeal to the KP government not to deprive me from my education,` said Majidullah, a class 4 student in a maktab school.

`The protest will continue till the children`s demands are met,` said Dr Jawad Iqbal, a social and education activist.

Umar Farooq, a social worker, said the education sector in Swat suf fered a lot during the militancy and floods. `The government should reverse its decision of closing the Maktab schools, as otherwise, the schoolchildren may begin to indulge in negative activities,` he feared.