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School without washrooms, furniture

By Our Correspondent 2014-01-16
GHALANAI: A boys` primary school in a remote area of Ekkaghund tehsil, which was damaged in the devastating floods last year, is still without boundary wall, washrooms and furniture.

The government had established the school in backward Halki Ghandhab Tango area in 1990 keeping in view the low literacy rate in the region. A number of students from far off areas of the tehsil started enrolling in the school as three qualified teachers had also been appointed to it.

However, presently the students are facing numerous problems owing to absence of boundary wall, bathrooms, furniture and electricity. Moreover, the school has no playground to provide students with healthy activities.

Due to absence of proper furniture, students have to sit on worn out mats in classrooms. Even teachers have no chairs to siton.

The students also have to consume contaminated water from buckets and an open mud tank as there is no water cooler in the school, said Rehman, a grade V student.

Another student said that her wish to play during break could never come true as there was no playground in the school.

Naeem, a grade III student, said that students were compelled to drink hot water from buckets during summer, which caused health problems for them.

Elders of the area said that the school administration had sent countless reminders and requests to the education department to resolve the problems, but to no avail. They also complained that the teachers were not regular in their duties.

Agency education officer Said Mohammad Khan told Dawn that flood had damaged several schools in the region. `A letter has been sent to the political administration and Fata education director for reconstruction of these institutions. Now weare waiting for their response,` he said.

He said that most schools in the regionhad no boundary walls, lacked furniture and other basic facilities.