MURREE: At least 24 government high schools and the only two higher secondary schools in Murree are being run without heads for many years.

There are total 18 girls high schools in the resort town but 12 of them are without heads. Similarly, there are no headmasters for 12 of the 23 high schools.

Murree town comprises 15 union councils (UCs) and there is one girls and one boys high school in every UC with the exception of Nambal and Gehl which are without a secondary school for girls.

More than 80pc of boys and 20pc of girls schools are without boundary walls

The girls high schools in Dewal Bahndi, Munasi, Rawat, Chitra Doonga, Samili Tajal, Bunn, Bhnatti, Sang Seri, Bhimbrote Syedan, Aliot, Potha and Hokrra Kairi are functioning without heads, severely affecting the teaching quality and results of the schools.

Similarly, the government boys high schools in Phagwarri, Sehr Bagla, Ghulehra Gali, Ghehl, Kakrrai, Angoori, Bhanatti, Samili Tajal, Sanehoh, Phaphril, Barriyaan and Kashmiri Bazaar are without heads.

The previous PML-N government had planned to gradually upgrade secondary schools to the higher secondary level to meet the growing requirements of higher secondary education in the area.

Three high schools were upgraded but due to non-provision of staff, the desired objectives could not be achieved.

The GBHS Phaphril was upgraded to the higher secondary level 10 years ago but less than 10 students could be admitted to the school as not a single faculty member was recruited during these years.

Later, the higher secondary school was shifted to the GBHS Barriyan. However, after three years no student could be enrolled there due to shortage of staff.

The girls primary school in Ghorra Gali was directly upgraded to the higher secondary level. Only the higher secondary school for girls in Murree town has all the staff, including the principal, with the enrollment of about 400 students.

More than 80 per cent of the boys’ schools and 20pc of the girls high schools are without boundary walls, making the students vulnerable to any untoward incident.

The primary school at Kakarrai was built in 1920 by the British government and upgraded to the middle level in 1956 and to the secondary level in 1987. But proper building for the school could not be constructed so far and the students are compelled to sit under the open sky.

Only six high schools located in Murree city, Gulehrra Gali, Ausiya, Phagwarri and Charehan have proper science laboratories while the remaining 35 are without laboratories or using a room with few instruments for practicals.

More than 70pc schools are facing shortage of allied staff and in the absence of clerical staff office work is also entrusted to teachers that adversely affects the teaching quality. There are many schools which do not have even a single clerk.

The newly-upgraded schools at Bhnatti, Dewal Bahndi and Barriyan are facing shortage of teaching staff.

When contacted, District Education Officer (secondary) Amir Iqbal said for the last three years no new induction had been made due to which the schools were running without heads.

He said sufficient funds were not available for the construction of school boundary walls.

Science laboratories are provided only in those schools where board examinations are held, he added.

Former councilor Rukhsaar Abbasi, Tahir Mehmood Abbasi, Asad Abbasi, Mazhar Abbasi and other local residents said functioning of more than half of the schools without heads showed non-seriousness and negligence of the government about promotion of education.

They demanded that heads, staff and missing facilities should be provided to the schools on an emergency basis.

They said the academic session in the schools started in March along with other areas of Punjab but ended in December due to the winter vacations. Soon after the vacations, the annual examinations started in March. But due to the long vacations, the students cannot perform well in the exams, they added.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2019