SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Due to the incompetence and negligence of the Elementary Education Foundation, the Community Girls School Zardad Kot, South Waziristan, has been closed due to the continuous absence of government teachers due to a lack of salary payment.
According to the parents, the government teachers posted in the school are often absent. Due to the unavailability of teachers, classes are not held regularly, and hundreds of girls are being deprived of basic education.
To address budget and staffing shortages, additional teachers were recruited at the school on contract with support from UNICEF. These teachers have been teaching girls for the past several months. However, they have not been paid their salaries by the education department yet.
Due to financial difficulties and non-payment of salaries, contract teachers have also indicated their intention to quit work. If immediate steps are not taken, the school will become completely inactive, and the education of the girls of the area will be disrupted.
Locals say that Zardad Kot is a backward area where parents cannot afford to send their girls to distant places. This is the only girls’ school that imparts education to the girls of the area.
The local people and parents have demanded immediate notice from the higher authorities, the Secretary of Education, and UNICEF officials. The attendance of government teachers should be ensured, and action should be taken against absent teachers. The arrears of teachers recruited with the support of UNICEF should be paid immediately so that they can continue teaching.
The shortage of teachers in the school should be met on a permanent basis so that the educational future of the girls can be secured. The parents have warned that if the problem is not resolved within a week, they will be forced to protest.
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