The plight of education in Kurram district

In the Kurram district, the field of education has historically not received much attention. The JEN team decided to implement a project focused on education in this area, taking into account the current poor educational environment discovered from our initial survey. The survey revealed the deterioration of education and the school environment as follows.

The school buildings are in poor condition and most schools do not have toilets. There are some cases where open defecation is practiced, which is unhygienic and poses a constant threat to the students’ health. Additionally, conflicts between radical and/or religious sects have a negative impact on all people, but especially on children. Similar conflicts in the project area severely impaired the mental health of children in particular.

The JEN team interacted with students and teachers and recorded their views and opinions. Miss Zara is a bright student at the Government Girls Primary School (GGPS) "College Colony". When asked about hygiene education, she replied, "I know a little about hand washing, but I don't have any proper knowledge." She didn't know how to wash her hands, but she showed keen interest in hygiene education.

We also investigated the psychological problems that arise from conflicts or clashes in the area. Miss Zara said, "I love art and want to express my feelings through painting. For years we faced sectarian battles in our area. We are sick of these problems and want to live a happy and fearless life. When the conflicts were fierce in the past, we always felt scared when we went to school, visited the bazaar, and attended events. We thank God that things are getting a little better. However, there is always a possibility that sectarian conflicts will occur again in our area."

Ms. Meena Naz, principal of GGPS “College Colony” said, "In my opinion, the sectarian clashes have caused school dropouts and financial problems. I vaguely remember that many children were absent from class because both the child and their parents showed hesitation in attending school. Moreover, school closures due to the conflicts have negatively affected the children's behavior. The children were restricted to staying at home and could not play freely. They were deprived of the opportunity to see their friends, which clearly had a negative impact on them.”

When asked about hygiene education at school, the principal said, "Our school teachers have basic knowledge of hygiene education, such as washing hands, trimming nails, and wearing clean clothes, but they have not received formal training. We want to teach this basic knowledge to our students."

Regarding our support, she smilingly said, “I have a keen interest in learning about hygiene education and am looking forward to it. I want to covey it to my students and also apply it to my own home. I also look forward to the psychosocial awareness and care training. Our community has suffered a lot, but now is the time to move forward without fear.”