BAJAUR: A government high school for girls in Barang tehsil here is yet to be made functional since its construction about 15 years ago, residents complained here on Sunday.

The school in Sharbati area was approved in 2006 to promote girls’ education in the region. Its building was constructed in 2008, area elders and social activists told Dawn.

They said unnecessary delay in making the school functional was causing them great concerns as it was the lone public sector high school for girls in about a dozen surrounding villages.

Taking to Dawn, Malik Rahmanuddin, an elder, said residents wanted to get their girls educated, and hoped that the school would be made functional, but to no avail.

He said the unprecedented delay in making the school functional had disappointed the residents.

The residents said they had approached the officials of the education department multiple times, requsting them to make the institution functional, but they paid only lip service. They said the officials promised to make the school functional by end of Februrary by appointing the necessary staff, but to no avail.

The elders and social activists also slammed the local lawmakers for not playing their role in this regard. They demanded of the education minister to make the girls’ school functional without delay.

When contacted, a senior official of the education department confirmed to Dawn that the girls high school in Sharbati area of Barang had been lying non-functional since its establishment in 2008.

The official wishing not to be named said the school had been non-functional owing to lack of staff. However, he said SNE (sanctioned new expenditure) regarding the required staff of the school had been sent to the provincial education department about two years ago.

Meanwhile, unknown people allegedly brought down the tower of a mobile phone company in Badan area of Mamond tehsil on Saturday evening for being non-functional for last couple of weeks.

Residents claimed that a group of people, mostly youth, tore down the tower installed on a mountain.

However, some people claimed that strong winds caused the tower to fall.

However, the police have launched an investigation.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024