Govt reopens schools in militancy-affected Akakhel after six years

BARA: The government has reopened the schools in Akakhel area in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency after a break of six long years.
“I feel extreme happy to see once again children with their bags on the way to schools after six years of militancy and military operations in the volatile Akakhel area of Bara,” said Zar Wali Khan, a key member of the Akakhel tribe’s peace body known as Amn Sharishta in Pashto.
A large number of tribal people were forced to migrate to safer areas due to insurgency.“The tribesmen had no choice but to live a miserable life in relief camps and elsewhere in the settled areas,” he said, adding, “Though schools have been turned into debris, the children area happy to continue their education even in the existing situation.”
Agency Education Office (AEO) Khyber Agency said about 73 schools, including 43 for girls and 30 for boys in Akakhel area, had been reopened in ‘tent schools.’ The decision to reopen schools in Akakhel area was taken after the repatriation of displaced persons to their areas in March 2015.
Nawab Gul Afridi, assistant agency education officer for Bara tehsil, said the Education Department had opened several ‘tent schools’ for students so that they could continue their education.
He said the temporary ‘tent schools’ were opened in the totally destroyed schools.He explained that the partially damaged government run schools were also made functional for students besides setting up tent schools in Akakhel area.
Regarding the government schools in Bar Qambarkhel area of Bara, he said that 43 male and female schools had also been reopened there when the security situation improved.He added that transport and other facilities have been also provided to teachers.
“The students are coming in reasonable numbers for admission in the tent schools. This shows that the people want their kids to get education,” he remarked.Nawab Gul pointed out that books and furniture had been provided to students and teachers in the schools.
As per the education office information, around 86 government schools in parts of Khyber Agency were destroyed in bomb blasts and attacks using improvised explosive devices during the period of insurgency in the last few years. It stated that over 60,000 students in Khyber Agency had been deprived of the basic right of education.The registration process of 20,000 dislocated families of Akakhel tribe of Bara to their homes will be completed till April 20.