Breaking free: how solar energy is changing lives
Located 16 kilometres away from the city of Peshawar and close to the border of Khyber Agency, Government Higher Secondary School Shiekhan is an oasis of greenery — a lush lawn and fresh row of flowers and plants greet visitors as they enter the building. But what is even more unusual is that in an area known for severe load-shedding, the classrooms all have electricity, and the students and teachers seem to be going about their day.
This wasn’t always the case. The well-manicured lawns have been made possible due to solar-powered tube wells. The round-the-clock electricity is because of the solar panels installed on the roof. Both things have been made possible thanks to an initiative by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to install renewable energy at public schools.
Plans are underway to install similar solar panels at all government schools in the province. But the government has a long way to go if that’s the goal: according to the Education Department, there are a total of 28,178 public schools in 25 districts of KP, and so far solar panels have been installed at more than 400 schools.