KHAR: Almost all the government educational institutions for women in Bajaur Agency lack basic facilities, says Naila Akhtar, women wing president of Fata Students Organisation (FSO).

Talking to reporters here on Sunday, she said she visited several girls schools in the agency and found most of them without basic f acilities. She pointed out that none of these schools met the standard of girls schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ms Akhtar said most schools were short of teaching staff while a single teacher handled hundreds of students in others. She maintained that absence of furniture, drinking water, boundary wall and washrooms were common problems facing the schools, which was impeding the students` progress.

She claimed that there were only two girls high schools in the entire agency while majority of students in the region were unable to further continue their education owing to lack of higher education facilities.

She observed that a large number of girls had quit their education after passing middle school due to absence of a high school in their vicinity.

Naila Akhtar flayed the government for not providing basic education facilities to the agency schools despite making tall claims of promoting education in the tribal areas.

The students` leader also criticised the Fata Secretariat,localeducation department andpolitical administration for not taking steps to encourage women education in the agency. She pointed out that officials of the education department and political administration seldom visited girls schools to know about the problems facing the students and teachers.

She demanded the federal government, the KP governor, additional chief secretary Fata and local administration to take result oriented steps to improve the state of women education in Bajaur. She also requested the authorities to establish at least one girls high school in every tehsil of the agency.