In Khyber district’s Tirah Valley, five community schools established in the Upper Bara area are still lacking basic facilities even after four years, causing serious difficulties for hundreds of students.

According to reports, around 500 children in schools located in Nangrosa, Kandao Jamaat, Dare Wandi, Sandana, and Sheikh Mali are forced to study in the open air under the shade of trees. Extreme weather conditions such as heat, cold, and other harsh elements are severely affecting educational activities.

Local social leaders and public representatives say that despite directives from the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, relevant parliamentarians, and the district administration, there has been an unusual delay in providing prefabricated classrooms, which is negatively impacting the education system.

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Qazi Farman Afridi, Coordinator of Khidmat-e-Khalq Welfare Society Upper Bara, stated that these schools, established in 2022, have still not been provided with the required resources, while the local population has been deprived of basic facilities for years.

He further added that teachers working in these schools are being paid only 10,000 rupees per month, which is extremely insufficient, making it difficult to maintain continuity in teaching.

Local elders have urged the government and relevant authorities to immediately regularize these community schools, conduct a transparent investigation into the delay in providing prefabricated classrooms, and ensure the provision of basic facilities on an emergency basis.

They also demanded an increase in teachers’ salaries and the provision of free textbooks and other educational facilities for students. They warned that if timely measures are not taken, the educational future of children in the area could be at serious risk.