No School Being Closed In FATA: Senate Told

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th july, 2016) : Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt (Gen) Abdul Qadir Baloch Thursday informed the Senate that the government was taking concrete steps for promoting education in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and no school was being closed. Winding up discussion on admitted adjournment motion in the Senate, the minister said there were disparities with regard to number of educational institutions, students-teachers ratio in certain agencies, therefore some measures were taken to settle these issues. He said that no school had been closed, if any that was closed in de-populated areas only, when people left the area. He said more educational facilities were given to Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and mobile schools were set up for them in Bannu district. The minister said directives had already been issued to revisit the policy envisaging closing down schools of FATA and added the final decision would be shared with the members of this august House in this regard. He said no teacher was being laid off and the schools in those areas continue functioning to provide education to tribal students.

He appreciated people of FATA, adding that they rendered supreme sacrifices for sake of the country and now there was a need to heal up their wounds and assist them on all fronts. Earlier, Azam Swati said there was a need to provide more funds for education sector in FATA.

Appreciating people of FATA, he said they left houses and rendered sacrifices for the wiping out terrorism from the country by conducting operation 'Zarb-e-Azb'. He said this policy to close schools should be reviewed and funds of other departments should be diverted to schools in FATA. Saleh Shah said FATA had suffered to such policy thus the government should review it.

He observed that such policy also defame the government and undermine its measures for people in FATA. Other speakers including Sehar Kamran, Senator Let Gen. Salahuddin, Usman Kakar. Numan Wazir and Aurangzeb and Jamal Dinni besides other senators also called for revisiting the policy.