Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], August 29 (ANI): In Waziristan, a group of schoolgirls staged a protest demanding the immediate recruitment of teachers in their institutions. Carrying placards that read “Education is our right” and “Don’t ruin our future,” the students highlighted how a severe shortage of female staff has left their school on the brink of collapse.
According to The Express Tribune, the middle section of the school is operating without a single teacher, while just two female instructors are responsible for handling all primary-level classes. Parents and community elders said the shortage has made regular learning impossible.
Locals accused the Education Office (Female), Upper Waziristan, of poor planning and negligence. They objected to the practice of shifting teachers from functioning schools to non-functional ones, calling it a policy that has worsened the educational crisis instead of solving it, The Express Tribune reported.
“Our daughters put on their uniforms and go to school each morning, but they return without attending a single proper class,” a parent said. “We are too poor to send them to private schools. If officials remain silent, our children’s future will be destroyed.”
Parents also alleged that education officers often pressure them to stop voicing concerns. Tribal elders emphasized the importance of female education for community development, urging the government to take swift action. “If our girls learn, the whole community benefits. This issue must not be ignored any longer,” one elder stated.
The protesting girls warned that unless teachers are appointed quickly, demonstrations would spread across both Upper and South Waziristan, and classes in all girls’ schools could be suspended.
Over 250 schools in North and South Waziristan are completely non-functional, with girls’ institutions suffering the most. Enrollment rates remain alarmingly low, with just 22 percent of girls attending primary school and fewer than seven percent continuing to middle or high school, The Express Tribune reported.
Education activists fear that unless the government intervenes immediately, the fragile system in Waziristan could collapse entirely, extinguishing the hope of education for thousands of young girls. (ANI)
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