Report by Anwar Zada Gulyar
Bajaur: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has recently announced the imposition of an “Education Emergency,” but the situation in the merged districts tells a starkly different and deeply concerning story. Despite official claims, teachers and students in these areas have fallen victim to mismanagement and financial neglect.
The “Literacy for All Programme in FATA” launched under the Elementary and Secondary Education Department has long been a ray of hope for out-of-school children. Initiated in 2016, the project established 209 community-based education centers in some of the most remote and underdeveloped areas, where no government or private schools exist within a radius of 2 to 10 kilometers. These centers currently accommodate more than 18,000 children who see education as their only chance for a brighter future.
However, the project’s PC-1 expired on June 30, 2025, throwing its future into uncertainty. Although a revised PC-1 was approved in March 2024, allocating Rs. 432 million for salaries—later increased to Rs. 654 million by the provincial cabinet—teachers have not been paid since October 2023. This means that hundreds of teachers, despite struggling with severe financial hardship, have continued their duties for nearly 20 months without pay.
In spite of ongoing insecurity and the aftershocks of military operations in the merged districts, these teachers remain on the frontlines, educating children in far-flung communities and spreading hope, resilience, and peace. Yet the non-payment of salaries has plunged their families into hunger, despair, and humiliation, stripping them of their dignity. Observers fear that if funds are not released immediately, disheartened teachers may be forced to abandon these schools, putting the education of 18,000 children at grave risk and pushing them back into illiteracy.
Teachers, parents, and Village Education Committees have demanded the urgent release of Rs. 165 million in pending salaries and the mainstreaming of the “Literacy for All Programme in FATA” into the provincial budget, similar to settled districts, to secure its future.
Education experts warn that lofty declarations alone cannot bring about an educational revolution. If education has truly been given the status of an “Emergency,” then the first priority must be those teachers who, despite nearly two years without pay, continue to keep the flame of learning alive in the merged districts.
The moment for decisive action has arrived. Will the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government fulfill its promises and safeguard the future of 18,000 children, or will the so-called “Education Emergency” collapse into hollow slogans and forgotten statistics?
