Quake-hit building houses school in Dir

Locals demand structure’s reconstruction for safety of students, teachers

A local Government Primary School in Dir Bala district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has been functioning in a crumbling building ever since it was damaged in a 2015 earthquake.

Talking to The Express Tribune a local elder said that the building of Government Primary School Mathar was damaged in the earthquake rendering the structure unsafe for use after which it was abandoned taking into account the safety of the children and staff.

“This school is situated in Tehsil Wari in Nehag Darra area in Mathra village and is very important for the local population as there is no other school in the nearby mountainous villages but they have to study and play near the crumbling structure inside the school premises which is nearly suicidal but we have no other option,” he said, adding that there were 400 boys and girls enrolled in the school.

“There are 400 students and seven teachers. In the past there were just two rooms for these children but the structure is crumbling and could collapse any time,” another local resident claimed, saying that in the event of any such mishap the lives of hundreds of students and their teachers will be at stake.

The local residents contacted the Education Department, local MPAs and MNAs but nothing practical came out of it.

“We are worried about our children and their lives. The teachers are concerned too so they have decided to take classes under the open sky which is another problem if there is a rainfall,” he said, adding that Dir Bala is a mountainous area and small children can’t walk for hours to other schools.

“If our problem is not solved within one week and the construction work is not started on the building then we would opt for a protest,” he said, adding that the government will be responsible for it.

An official of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department said that no funds were available for the schools despite their repeated demands.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6th, 2021.