CHARSADDA: At least 15 Girls Primary Schools in Charsadda district remain closed, depriving hundreds of students of access to basic education. The prolonged closure has also led to a continued decline in enrollment rates in nearby middle and high schools.
According to local sources, six of the closed primary schools were forcibly locked by landowners who had originally provided land for construction of the institutions. The landowners allegedly shut down the schools after the Education Department did not employ one of their family members following the retirement of individuals previously hired through their influence. As a result, academic activities in these schools have been completely suspended.
The closed schools include Government Girls Primary School Zarbab Garhi, Government Girls Primary School Yousaf Khan Qila, Government Girls Primary School Shadah, Government Girls Primary School Agra, Government Girls Primary School Sareekh, Government Girls Primary School Shabqadar Korona, Government Girls Primary School Dagwal, among others.
In addition to these, nine other girls primary schools constructed years ago have not been opened because the land ownership has not yet been formally transferred to the Education Department. Due to technical and administrative reasons, these schools have not been handed over for academic use.
Residents of the affected villages said the closures discouraged girls’ education in the area, where the long-standing suspension of schooling directly impacted admissions in middle and high schools. DEO (Female), Fanoos Jamal, stated that demands for jobs in exchange for land were illegal.