A cherished school building yet to throw its doors open

The Government Girls High School in Miranshah, North Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has been non-functional despite the construction of a large and modern building at a cost of millions of rupees.

Local residents have demanded of the government to make the school functional as there are thousands of girls in the area who are without education. They said that the school is the largest of its kind in the entire North Waziristan but it was frequented by stray dogs and cats as the building has not been in use since its completion several years ago.

The school is located in the main Miran Shah Bazaar and its building was constructed by the security forces after the operation zarb-e-azb as a model girls school but the local administration as well as the Education Department is reluctant to make it open.

“The building has already been handed over to the civilian administration as well as the Education Department but they are reluctant to open it due to unknown reasons,” said a local elder while talking to The Express Tribune, adding that there was girls school in Civil Colony but it was faraway and its building was smaller compared to the large number of female students.

“There is less space in the Civil Colony high school and college causing a lot many problems for the students,” he said.

“We demand of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) North Waziristan to make the school functional as soon as possible to solve this problem. These days many parents don’t send their girls to Civil Colony school as they have to pass a check post where everyone is searched thoroughly and because of this thousands of girls are without education altogether,” said another elder.

They blamed that the Miranshah Girls School was the main and largest school in the entire region but it was locked and without maintenance and if not used as soon as possible then the building could collapse due to disrepair.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2021.