(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) PESHAWAR, 11 December: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department has shut down about 1000 schools in the province under the rationalization policy.
According to a report published in a national newspaper, the schools have been closed due to low enrollment. The paper quoted an official of the district education department saying that the government closed those schools where the number of enrolled students was less than 40. The students of these schools have been shifted to the nearest schools, the report added.
The newspaper wrote that the schools, which have been shut down, were built at non-suitable places by the previous governments only to appease and oblige voters of certain politicians.
'As many as 45 schools have been closed in Peshawar, 100 in Mansehra, 65 in Abbottabad, 60 in Bannu, 90 in Battagram, 87 in Kohistan, 58 in Charsadda, 55 in Chitral, 60 in Mardan, 60 in Haripur, 55 in Swabi, 60 in Lakki Marwat, 12 in Dera Ismail Khan, 15 in Malakand, 10 each in Swat and in Tank, seven in Torghar and four in Nowshera.
The report quoted an unidentified official of the Education department alleging that despite closing down 1000 schools, the PTI government has been following the old practice and constructing new schools on the directives of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to oblige voters.
The official further told the paper that the education department was helpless as it only followed the directives of the chief minister.
The newspaper further said while quoting the official as saying that each year, the provincial government reflected the establishment of schools in bulk in the budget that was approved by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. After the passage of the budget, the chief minister issued directives to the education department regarding construction of each school.
'The chief minister was approving schools in the constituencies of lawmakers to oblige them. Not only the chief minister decides the construction of the new primary schools but he also decides upgradation of primary schools to middle, high or higher secondary level,' the paper maintained.
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