ABBOTTABAD: The number of ghost schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has enormously reduced over the last three years due to the government’s reforms.

Also, scores of government schools are being rehabilitated by renovation and provision of educational and sports facilities.

This was revealed during a meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly standing committee on elementary and secondary education here on Tuesday.

MPA Mohammad Arif chaired the meeting, where MPAs Shah Hussain, Raja Faisal Zaman and Amna Sardar, elementary and secondary education director, Hazara division education officers, and relevant officials were also in attendance.

The participants discussed the issue of ghost and closed schools in Hazara division. They criticised the federal government for not rebuilding schools devastated in the region by the 2005 earthquake.

The participants said fresh contact would be made with the federal government for the reconstruction of such educational institutions.

The relevant officials said the provincial government had planned the recruitment of around 15,450 permanent teachers for schools in the province and until that happened, teachers would be hired on daily wage basis.

The committee urged the education department to take over the newly-constructed schools and ensure provision of staff and other facilities there.

Committee chairman Mohammad Arif appreciated the performance of all Hazara division DEOs and said all those performing their duties well, especially regarding educational reforms, should be allowed to continue serving at their current workplace.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2016