Scores of female students of the Sadeqain Government Girls Middle School in Sur Kamr area of Jamrud subdivision on Tuesday staged a demonstration against teachers for being chronically absent and lack of resources in the school.
Reportedly, the demonstration by students and members of civil society culminated at Bab-e-Khyber where they chanted slogans in favour of their demands inscribed on placards and banners.
They claimed that the Khyber district education department had appointed only five teachers in their school while only three of them had been teaching regularly and the remaining two had been chronically absent but collected their salaries regularly.
“The teacher-in-charge of the school fakes signature of the absent teachers in attendance register in order to prevent a legal action against them,” they said.
They expressed profound concerns over the failure of concerned officials of the education department despite of their repeated complaints.
They further warned that if their issues were not addressed by the department on the priority basis, they would be left with no other option except to initiate a demonstration for an indefinite period of time.
Meanwhile, district education officer (DEO) Jadoon Khan Wazir revealed that previously it was a communal school managed by the village community, and later it was upgraded to middle school, however facilities of not even a primary school were provided to the students.
He said that higher authorities of the department were informed about the grievances of the protesters.
Later, the protesters marched to the DEO office where they dispersed peacefully.
Published in Daily Times, September 5th 2018.
