EducationGilgit - Baltistan
Government establishes five new schools in Gojal tehsil
PT Report
Gulmit, August 30: A delegation of the district administration visited different parts of the Gojal tehsil today to finalize sites for constructions and improvement of school infrastructure. According to details, four primary schools are being constructed in Odver ward of Gulmit, Yarzrich (Chipursan), Jonabod (Passu) and Hussainabad (Sost). Government Middle School Kirmin is being upgraded to High School.
The delegation was headed by DC Hunza-Nagar, and it comprised of Executive Engineer, Deputy Director, DDO and officials of the Tehsil Administration. Construction of the new schools is likely to commence early next year.
Imagine the government of Gilgit-Baltistan is planning to build the very first primary school in Passu village. The village has already produced over 100 graduates including number of quality teachers, bankers, doctors, engineers and development professionals.
You may like to read a short history of the primary school in Passu village:
The first community school ( DJ/ AKDN)for boys was established in a community owned common facility during late forties and Muhammad Faraz ( late) was the one and only teacher and he was borrowed by Arbab Khuda Aman from Mir Jamal Khan. Later in 1962 Mr. Muhammad Gohar (Ex Muki) a retired soldier took an initiative and started primary girls school in the village without pay. Mr. Muhammad Gohar told me that on the request of Arbab Hassan Khan, Jamal Khan ask him to meet Haji Qudratullah Baig in central Hunza and brief him about the initiative .
Haji Quratullah Baig had finally approved the girls school and fixed PKR 10 per month for the teacher.
Anyways currently the village has mixed middle schools and surely need school facility in a new location where people have moved due to land erosion because of the river passing through the village.
In my view one best option would be to divert the budget to the school management committee and they should keep the money as an endowment fund in a bank. Primary classes could immediately be started in a rented facility. The earnings from the endowment could be paid for teachers salaries and rent of building.
Otherwise it takes years to complete a building, and creating teachers position is another complex step, recruitment and arranging finances may take few more years and that pushes back the very objective of universal education… enrolling children both girls and boys.
My second view on governments responsibility in the promotion of education in Passu village is that…the community along with AKES have been managing the village school for over 60 years.
I wonder if this is the right time for the government to pay all the operating cost of the community school including repair , maintenance and salary of teachers and also add additional facilities both hard and soft on need basis and that ensures acceptable learning environment and delivery of quality education.