Khyber - More than eighty percent of government-run girls’ schools in tehsil Landi Kotal have been shut down for the last eight days due to the unavailability of female teaching staff, caused by the Koki Khel protest sit-in and road blockade at the Bogyari checkpoint.
It should be noted that over eighty percent of the female teachers from Jamrud, Peshawar, and surrounding areas, who work in the girls’ schools of Landi Kotal, have been unable to attend their duties due to the road closure.
Sharifullah Afridi, district head of Tanzeem-e-Asatiza, Pakistan, stated that for the past week, most of the female staff from Jamrud and Peshawar have been unable to perform their teaching duties, which is unfair to the female students of Landi Kotal.
He expressed concern that, in addition to the permanent shortage of female teaching staff in girls’ educational institutions, the absence of 70 to 80 female staff has effectively halted teaching activities in the schools.
The closure of a large number of government girls’ schools has deprived the female students of their basic right to education and put the future of thousands of local female students at risk, he added.
He also mentioned that the closure of girls’ schools has raised concerns among parents, who fear that a prolonged shutdown could have long-term consequences for the education of thousands of female students.
Afridi urged the authorities and the organizers of the sit-in to take all necessary steps to ensure the presence of female teachers in the girls’ schools of Landi Kotal.
It is worth mentioning that approximately twelve thousand girls study in fifty-three state-run schools in Landi Kotal.