MANSEHRA: Forty-two government primary schools, including 39 for girls, are non-functional in Upper and Lower Kohistan districts, claimed a local nongovernmental organisation on Wednesday.

It also claimed that staff members were appointed to those schools, who got salary without doing the duty.

`There is a complete educational mess in Upper and Lower Kohistan districts as at least 42 schools are not functional there due to the neglect of the education department,` Abdul Hafiz, chairman of the Kohistan Development Associate, told reporters here on Wednesday. Mr Abdul Hafiz said the buildings of many of those schools were either in ruins or were used as cattle pens. He said ironically, only five per cent of the women living in the two districts were literate.

The NGO head said Upper and Lower Kohistan districts had 928 schools, including 273 for girls, most of which f ailed to provide the people with quality education. He also complained about absenteeism in those schools.

Mr Abdul Hafiz said local girls wanted to get education but the frequent absence of teachers from schools, especially those located infar-off areas, had turned out to be a hurdle. He said 60 per cent of children in both districts were out of school and 82 per cent of them were girls.

The NGO head also claimed 57 per cent of the local children aged between five and 16 years had been to schools. He demanded that the education department take corrective measures and thus, furthering the cause of education in the region.

CONFERENCE OPENS: Islamia College University Peshawar vice-chancellor Dr Habib Ahmad on Wednesday inaugurated a three-day conference on genomics and computational biology at the Hazara University here. The univer-sity`s Centre for Human Genetics organised the event using the financial and technical assistance of the Higher Education Commission.

Dr Habib said research in field of genomics and computational biology would pave the way for the making of vaccines for diseases, which had so f ar been incurable. He said rapid progress had been taking place in the fields of industry, agriculture and economy and thus, promising revolution in research and innovation.

HU VC Dr Mohammad Idrees declared research an integral part of teaching paradigm and said it would help treat complex diseases.