Gohkir's schools a picture of criminal neglect

ZAIT (CHITRAL) May 30: Gohkir is one of the most backward and neglected areas of upper Chitral’s Mulkhow tehsil and when it comes to basic facilities such as education, it seems the successive governments have meted out stepmotherly treatment to the people of this area. For years due to the negligence of the authorities concerned, the handful of educational institutions in the area have literally been inking in terms of infrastructure facilities and quality of education. Whether it is the hollow slogans of the public representatives or the contractor mafia’s connivance with government officials, the end result is that the future of the young generation in the area is at stake to say the least. Every year millions of rupees are allocated to the Education Department but the situation remains totally pathetic and nobody knows where the funds are going. Headmaster Muhammad Musa of the Government High School Gohkir, situated on the right bank of Bindo Gol Gohkir, while talking to ChitralToday said there was an acute shortage of classrooms, teachers and other facilities in the institution. There are only five classes for the high school and in each of the classes 90 students are crammed at a time. Besides, there is co-education as there is no separate school for the girls of secondary classes. A total of 408 students are enrolled in the school, he added. One of the students complained that there due to unavailability of a playground in the school they cannot take part in different games. A school staff member added that there was no boundary wall around the school so the public property was without any safety.]]>