The protesters said that their children's future is uncertain after the recent 100 percent hike in the fee.
Misbah ud Din Utmani
Parents protested in front of Cadet College Mohmand against the increase in the fee of the institution located at the junction of Bajaur and Mohmand. The protesters said that their children's future is uncertain after the recent 100 percent hike in the fee.
Jawad Khan, a participant in the protest, told TNN that in the inauguration ceremony of Mohmand Cadet College, the Chief Minister had announced that students from tribal districts would be given free education here by 2025, but there was no implementation.
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He said that the monthly fee was increased from Rs.2000 to Rs.3500 which they could hardly pay, and now it is being increased by another Rs.3500 which they cannot pay in any case.
Jawad Khan said that he is affected by the terrorism of Bajaur and Mohmand and he wants to educate his children by working hard, but after the continuous increase in the fee of Cadet College Mamad Ghat, the dream of his children to study here will remain unfulfilled.
Mohmand Cadet College, located at the junction of Bajaur and Mohmand tribal districts, has a capacity of 900 students, of which 400 can be accommodated. Mohmand Cadet College was inaugurated in November 2020 by the then Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, who had promised that students from tribal districts would receive free education by 2025.
Ziaul Islam, a professor from Swabi whose son is studying in Class XI at the college, said that the fee was initially kept low during admissions, but after getting admission on open merit, they were paying Rs. 7,000 per month, which has now been increased along with a deposit and a development fee of Rs. 25,000. He urged the Corps Commander to withdraw the recent increase in fees and maintain the old fee.
Awami National Party leader Maulana Khanzeb termed the doubling of the fee for students selected on open merit and specific quota as an injustice. He said that instead of providing free education here, the fee was doubled.
According to Maulana Khanzeb, Cadet College Mohmand is the only institution in the country where the fee has been increased. We stand by the side of these parents, we will go to every institution and convey their plea to the rulers, he added.
Maulana Khanzeb said that free land was taken from them for the cadet college on the condition that the children of Mohmand and Bajaur districts will get free education here, but now they are being threatened to expel them from the educational institution.
Maulana Khanzeb said that if their demands were not considered, he along with the political leaders of Bajaur and Mohmand would protest in front of Cadet College Mohmand.
Chief Minister Mehmood Khan had promised that students from tribal districts would receive free education at Mohmand Cadet College by 2025, but the recent fee increase has put this promise in jeopardy.
