SHANGLA: Residents here have urged the government to include Shangla district in its free student transport programme, complaining that their region was unfairly ignored for the initiative.

They told Dawn that Shangla had difficult terrain and lacked educational institutions and facilities, so ignoring it for the recently-announced free student transport programme was beyond understanding.

The government recently issued a notification, titled `Free Transport Service forMiddle School Girls From New Academic Year` for Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Kohat, Charsadda, Lakki Marwat, Hangu, Torghar, Kolai-Palas, and Upper and Lower Kohistan districts. It insisted that the programme aimed to provide free pick-anddrop transport services for middle school female students, facilitated by the education department.

Opposition leader in the Alpuri tehsil council Ali Bash Khan said Shangla had 105 union councils, most of which were situated in mountainous terrain and lacked middle schools.

`If I speak about my own village council, Basi, there is no primary, middle or high school for girls in the entire VC. When my daughter passed the fifth grade exam, we had to enrol her in a boys` school where she studied until grade 10,` he said.

Mr Khan said the girl had to goto a higher secondary school in Lilownai, around 20 kilometers away, using two separate vehicles-first from Basi to Alpuri, then Alpuri to Lilownai.

The opposition leader, who is also the VC nazim of Basi, said the KP government, as well as the local MNA and MPAs, were aware of poverty levels in the region. He said most of the men from the district worked as coal miners in far-off regions to support their families.

`We condemn the government`s exclusion of Shangla from the free transport programme and demand its immediate inclusion,` he said.

Convener of the Martung tehsil council Jehan Chagharzai said though he appreciated the provincial government`s initiative to promote girls` education, leaving out Shangla was a grave injustice.

He said the decision to provide free transport was crucial, asmany girls drop out after primary school due to the cost of commuting.

`Shangla is the most backward district in the province,` he said, urging the government to extend the programme to the district.

Hazrat Hussain of Katkoor area in Chakesar said the exclusion reflected the poor performance of the district`s elected representatives and political leadership.

He said everyone was aware of Shangla`s poverty, remoteness, lack of educational infrastructure and shortage of female teachers.

`Many girls` primary schools are vacant, jeopardising the future of our daughters,` he said.

The residents said excluding Shangla from the government`s free transport programme was an injustice to the local girl students, so the move should be fixed.