MANSEHRA: Depicting a grim situation of education sector in Mansehra, a nongovernmental organisation on Thursday claimed that 25 per cent of primary schools both for boys and girls in the district had one teacher each.

Calling for better budgetary allocations for the sector, Alif Ailaan regretted in a report that 20 per cent of the children aged between five and 16 years in the district were out of school.

The report said the condition of the women`s education in Mansehra was worse than men`s as 28 per cent local girls and 12 per cent boys were out of school.

It added that 15 per cent of both boys and girls aged from five to 16 years had never gone to schools.

The report however said though satisfac-tory at primary level was little satisfactory, the enrolment rate dropped gradually at middle and higher secondary levels.

The enrolment rate is 65 per cent at primary level, 23 per cent at middle level and 14 per cent at secondary level in the district, while 68 per cent of the students are enrolled in government schools.

A total of 41 per cent girls enrolled in primary schools drop out before the completion of fifth grade, while the rate is little better among boys.

The report also said 51 per cent schools in Mansehra didn`t have water supply, 35 per cent had no electric supply, 40 per cent lacked toilets and 43 per cent didn`t have boundary walls.

It added that 8,389 teachers were appointed to a total of 2,304 government schools in Mansehra, including both for boys and girls.

Alif Ailaan regional campaign organiser Hamza Bilal told Dawn that federal, provincial and district governments should ensure better funding in the next fiscal to address the issues and challenges of education sector in Mansehra and thus, ensuring national development.

He also demanded the appointment ofteachers to primary schools in adequate numbers to ensure the enrolment of more and more out-of-school children `If we don`t improve educational standards at initial stage, it means we are shattering the future of our generations,` he said.

When contacted, district nazim Sardar Said Ghulam confirmed the statistics.

He regretted that the provincial government had planned to close down more than 238 primary schools in the district over low enrolment rate.

The nazim said over 55 per cent schools destroyed by the natural calamities in the district had yet to be reconstructed in by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and therefore, how the district government could do anything tangible for the improvement of education sector.

`There is a shortage of teachers and hundreds of schools have no head teachers. In such environment, how we can improve educational standards there,` he said.

The nazim regretted the closure of 238 primary schools in district for having less than 50 students and said the provincial government`s move would have a negative bearing on the education sector.