TIMERGARA:November 22: Negligence and lack of commitment on part of the government has affected the vital sector of education, particularly for girls, in Lower Dir district where literacy rate is already low.

The government’s commitment and claims of efforts to improve education could be gauged from the fact that 20 out of the 32 government girls’ high schools have no headmistress. Besides, all the eight higher secondary schools are running without principals.

All the girls’ higher secondary schools are currently headed by headmistresses or Senior English Teachers (SETs) while the high schools are either run by SETs or even CT teachers as the in-charge, sources in the Education Department told The News.

According to the sources, besides absence of principals and headmistress, about 112 seats of SET teachers are also lying vacant in the 59 middle and 40 high and higher secondary schools in the district.

The government girls higher secondary schools in Chakdarra, Ouch, Ziarat Talash, Timergara, Rabat, Kumbar, Mayar and Samar Bagh have no principals and are being run by teachers as the in-charge, which means that no higher secondary school has any principal in the entire Lower Dir district. Only 12 GGHS schools, out of 32, have headmistresses and the remaining 20 are run by junior teachers as the in-charge. It shows the seriousness of the Education Department for improving the situation.

The schools without headmistresses include GGHS Enzaro, Asbanr, Bagh Droshkhel, Sado, Timergara, Haya Serai, Moranai, Beshgram, Zaimdarra, Manayal, Hajiabad, Koheray, Kandaro, Khazana, Munda, Mian Killay, Damtal, Badeen and Petodarra.

Some of the schools have just two to three-member staff to teach five classes, informed the sources. Majority of the schools are short of other staff like SETs General and SET Science, Physical Education Teacher (PET), laboratory assistant, CT and Arabic or theology teachers as well, but the concerned ministry is least bothered to fill the vacant posts, let alone ensure provision of other facilities.

The ministry is not recruiting fresh teachers despite the fact that thousands of qualified youth are jobless nor has it any structure to promote the existing lot of SETs, CTs and other teachers to remove the shortage. Same is the case with boys’ schools as majority of the institutions are facing staff shortage and dozens are lacking facilities like water, playgrounds, science laboratories and libraries.

Unions of teachers and parents are demanding filling the vacant posts and promotion of the deserving teachers but the concerned quarters are paying little heed to the demands and bent on running the Education Department through ad hoc policies. New experiments like service structure, etc, are being done and reversed due to flaws and the practice has been adding to the sufferings of students and grievances of the teachers.The news.