Zahiruddin
CHITRAL: A dilapidated Maktab school building in the Domel Nisar area of Lower Chitral has raised serious concerns about the safety of 220 students, prompting parents and local residents to demand their immediate relocation to a safer facility.
The Government Maktab school, which provides education to boys and girls up to Grade 5, is housed in a decades-old mud structure whose walls and roof have deteriorated significantly.
Residents fear the building could collapse at any time, particularly during heavy rainfall or an earthquake, putting the lives of young students at serious risk.
Local community representatives, including School Chairman Haji Abdul Rasheed and school member Maulana Ali Muhammad, have urged the authorities to take immediate action to prevent a possible tragedy.
According to residents, a newly constructed Government Girls Primary School (GGPS) building adjacent to the existing Maktab school is currently vacant and could be used to accommodate the students. They urged the deputy commissioner and the Education Department officials to arrange the immediate relocation of the children.
However, District Education Officer (Female) Lower Chitral Mehrun Nisa said a shortage of qualified female teachers was creating difficulties in shifting the students of the Maktab school to the new building.
She explained that under government policy, newly constructed primary school buildings fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the female education office, whereas the existing Maktab school has been operating with male teachers in classrooms provided by the local community.
The DEO said four female teaching positions had been sanctioned for the newly constructed school to replace the existing male staff. However, despite the testing agency lowering the qualifying threshold from 50 per cent to 30 per cent, only one female candidate from the local village council managed to qualify.
She attributed the shortage of eligible candidates to widespread poverty and deep-rooted social barriers that have hindered the development of female education in the remote area.
As an interim measure, Mehrun Nisa said she had formally approached the commandant of Chitral Scouts and the deputy commissioner of Lower Chitral, seeking financial assistance to hire temporary female teachers until candidates meeting the prescribed merit criteria become available.
Published in Dawn
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