Over 800 Government Schools Inactive, 44 Closed in Tribal Districts of KP

South Waziristan tops the list with the highest number of inactive schools, including 202 for boys and 144 for girls.

Aftab Mohmand

It has come to light that more than 800 government schools in the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are currently inactive, with an additional 44 schools completely closed. This revelation highlights the educational challenges faced in these regions.

In the eight tribal districts, including Mohmand, Bajaur, Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, and six sub-districts of Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank, and FR Dera, there is a total of 5,957 government schools. Among them, 44 schools have ceased operations entirely, and 812 schools are marked as inactive for educational purposes. However, educational and teaching activities continue in 5,101 schools in these districts.

A breakdown of the data reveals specific figures: in Khyber, five boys' schools and three girls' schools are inactive; in Mohmand, 59 boys' schools and 25 girls' schools are inactive, with one boys' school completely closed; sub-district Peshawar has one inactive boys' school and one completely closed girls' school; in Kohat, three girls' schools are completely closed, and seven schools are inactive.

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Orakzai has no closed schools, but 64 boys' schools and 42 girls' schools are inactive; Kurram reports five completely closed boys' schools and 27 inactive ones, along with 11 inactive girls' schools and 11 completely closed ones. In sub-district Bannu, three schools for both boys and girls are inactive; Lakki Marwat has seven inactive schools for both genders, while North Waziristan faces the closure of 12 boys' schools and inactivity in 62, along with 84 inactive girls' schools and one closed.

In Dera Ismail Khan, four schools for both genders are inactive, while Tank reports six inactive boys' schools and three inactive girls' schools. South Waziristan tops the list with the highest number of inactive schools, including 202 for boys and 144 for girls.

The Education Monitoring Authority of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has taken note of the situation and reported a total of 535 inactive schools in the tribal districts. Currently, 418 of these schools have been reactivated, ensuring educational activities continue, benefiting thousands of students.

The authorities are committed to restoring the remaining inactive schools, emphasizing the importance of education in the tribal districts. Education department officials have been instructed to investigate and promptly report any inactive or closed schools to ensure that children's education is not compromised.