Hiring for project staff Battagram residents feel left out

BATTAGRAM: The residents here on Monday alleged that the local people were not hired for the Alternative Learning Pathway (ALP) Project under the Department of Education.

The project aimed at enrolling out-of-school children has come under fire for allegedly ignoring the residents of Battagram.The residents said that no local was appointed as coordinator, training and monitoring officer, or project associate. Even support staff positions such as drivers, security guards, and office assistants were filled out by individuals from outside districts. They said the organization’s primary responsibility was to prioritize locals in employment to ensure fair representation.

Abdur Rahman, a resident of Peshora, criticized the project’s execution, claiming it was riddled with inefficiencies.“The centres are unnecessarily placed near existing schools, and they are enrolling students who are already studying in other schools in Battagram instead of targeting out-of-school children. Moreover, the teachers hired are incompetent and lack basic teaching skills. Even project staff misuse vehicles and other resources for personal purposes,” he alleged.

Salaam Khan, a local activist, remarked, “By ignoring residents of Battagram for hiring, the project has alienated the community it is meant to support. If locals were given jobs, they would be more committed to ensuring the success of these initiatives.”

Arsalan, a parent whose children were studying in a nearby school, said, “If these centres are just duplicating the work of schools and not targeting out-of-school children, what purpose do they serve? It’s a waste of resources.”

Zahid Khan, a teacher in Battagram, expressed concern over the competency of the hired staff. “The appointed teachers lack proper training and teaching methodologies. This raises questions about the seriousness of the ALP Project’s implementation. “

When contacted, Rafiq Khattak, Project Director of ALP, dismissed the allegations of mismanagement and said that the project was running effectively.“This initiative, funded by UNICEF and the World Bank, operates 20 centres in Battagram-16 for boys and 4 for girls-enrolling 658 learners, including 307 boys and 351 girls. Additionally, we run 15 GPE-funded schools in the district, educating 583 students, and 24 Aspire-funded ALP centers, benefiting 823 students,” he said.

He said that hiring for the project was managed by Micro Merger Company and that all details were transparently uploaded on their official website.“We encourage critics to review the project details online to understand the scope of our work in Battagram,” he added.