PESHAWAR, March 19: The closure of schools and colleges has jeopardised the future of 35,000 students in the Mehsud area of South Waziristan tribal region.

An official told Dawn by phone from Tank that 350 schools and colleges in five tehsils had been closed since January due to military operation and massive displacement of people of the Mehsud tribe.

“Of the total 580 public sector educational institutions in the South Waziristan, 350 schools have been closed as the buildings of these facilities had been damaged badly due to the ongoing conflict,” said the official.

He said that building of the Government Degree College Laddah sub-division had been bombed which had damaged the infrastructure while equipment and furniture from many schools had been stolen.

The damaged buildings of the college “are now under the use of the security forces”. Some 200 students had been enrolled in the college.

Army had launched operation against militants in the Mehsud area of the troubled tribal region in January, which caused large scale displacement of civilians.

Locals said that many houses had been targeted in the area particularly in Laddah and Serwakai tehsils. The main road between Jandola and South Waziristan had been closed since the army launched operation in the region and even displaced people were not allowed to return to their houses though an unofficial ceasefire had been declared in the region. Inhabitants of Wana and other areas of the restive region are using alternative routes due to closure of the main road, causing great hardship to the local population.

Officials said that future of 35,000 students, out of total 53,084 students enrolled in South Waziristan, was at stake. Education institutions in the areas inhabited by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe are smoothly functioning.

Officials in the Directorate of Education, Fata, said that security forces did not allow them to visit the schools and colleges to assess the quantum of damages. They said that only in Shak Toi area schools were opened while in other area all schools had been closed.

“Unless peace prevails in the area, schools will remain closed, till an indefinite period, as political administration and security forces seem helpless to restore law and order situation in the conflict-hit areas,” said an official.

Sources said that schools in Laddah and Serwakai had been affected in the military operation.