Govt lethargy imperils girls’ higher studies
UPPER DIR, July 30: The future of hundreds of students is in jeopardy as classes in the government-run degree college for girls here cannot be started in time for the upcoming academic session due to delay in the construction of its buildings.
The construction of the college buildings was supposed to be completed by June 2006, but the local government failed to complete the work by the deadline, depriving hundreds of girls of the opportunity to pursue higher education.
Later on it was decided that the construction work would be completed before the commencement of classes for the academic session 2007-08. It seems, however, that the students are going to be badly disappointed once again.
All this speaks volumes about the authorities’ ability to complete development projects in the district on time.
Many girls have been forced to abandon their education after completing their matriculation on account of lack of educational institutions in the district.
More than 500 girls passed their Secondary School Certificate examinations this year and hundreds of others passed their Higher Secondary Certificate examinations as private students but they don’t have the intermediate degrees to pursue higher education.
It may also be mentioned that the High School for Girls in Dir was upgraded to the Higher Secondary-level and its building was handed over to the education department in 1998 but it is a pity that intermediate classes have not started there as yet.
Lack of educational institutions has had a bad impact on the literacy ratio of Dir Upper. Of the 24 districts in the NWFP, Dir Upper has been ranked 22nd vis-a-vis the overall literacy rate – which stands at 21.60 per cent, with the female literacy rate a meagre 6 per cent.
Seven union councils of Kohistan in Dir Upper have the female literacy rate of only 0.5 per cent.
The fathers of several schoolgirls have expressed their anger over the failure of the district government and the provincial government to launch the much-awaited degree programmes for girls.
One of them, Mohammad Rashid, said: “Where will our daughters go for obtaining higher education as the degree college is not being launched?” He said that hundreds of female students will have to abandon their studies simply due to the lack of educational institutions.
Kishwar Sultan, a lady councillor in the district council, said: “I had raised this issue in 2006 and I was told that classes would start soon. But it proved to be a false promise.”
Last year hundreds of boys were also denied admission to the Degree College Dir for Boys.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/31/2007
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