Girls school building in Shangla awaits reconstruction

SHANGLA: Residents of Karora, Opal have demanded of the education department to rebuild the government girl’s primary school’s building demolished in 2017 after it developed cracks in the 2016 flash floods.
They told reporters on Tuesday that due to the absence of building girls were getting education in a dilapidated rented building which was located below the heavy landslide of Karora and can collapse anytime also hit by the landslide.
Mehboob Ur Rehman, a local committee chairman, said that he had taken the school’s building issue at several platforms but except verbal assurances and promises practical work yet to be started.
“We have no other nearby girl school for our children in the entire Karora area due to which our girl’s future is destroying. The education department is not serious in this matter,” He said.
Sayed Musharaf Shah, a local resident, said there was over 250 strength in the GGPS Karora before its demolish and now the strength had been declined to 120 due to the bad condition of the rented building and lack of facilities.
He said, the existing building was located in a vulnerable area and below the Karora landslide which could damage the building and cause the loss of pupils.
One of the teachers, said that there was no proper drinking water, bathrooms and other required facilities and also shortage of classes due to which they also faced problems.
She said they had been submitted several requests to the concerned authorities of the department but to no avail.
Ikramullah, sub-divisional officer planning, and development at the female education department, told on contact that there was a land size issue the acquired land with the school was too insufficient but now they had asked the contractor to start work on the new building.
He said as the contractor completed the new building and hand over to the department they would shift the school to the new building but till that they had not any option.
The local people warned the education department that if work on the building was not started at the earliest they would come onto streets for agitation because due to the absence of school building their children were being deprived of the fundamental right of education.