CM vows promotion of education in merged districts

PESHAWAR: Paying tributes to the volunteers for their services in education and afforestation in Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Syed Arshad Hussain Shah said on Saturday the government was committed to improving the lifestyle of the people of erstwhile Fata.

The chief minister awarded cash prizes to a number of students from the remote and troubled Wana for performing well in their respective boards and educational institutions.

They included dozens of students who are studying in top educational institutions in different parts of the country.

Jamil Ahmad was declared the Shamlawar of the Year, best student of Wawa, and was awarded turban and Rs100,000 by the CM.

Hundreds of elders, students and people from different walks of life from South Waziristan and other parts attended the ceremony that is normally arranged in Dera Ismail Khan but was held for the first time in Peshawar.

“People who serve others in any way are the blessed ones. Wawa has been doing an excellent job for the last many years in South Waziristan by providing quality education to the deserving students,” the CM said while addressing the 20th Annual Scholarship and Awards Distribution ceremony of Wawa.

Announcing a cash reward of Rs5 million for Wawa, the chief minister directed the chief secretary and secretary education to coordinate with Wawa and address the issues related to education, forestation and others sectors in the area. The CM also announced construction of small dams in Wana to address the issue of water level in the area.

“We have set up a monitoring cell to lodge complaints against any department that is not performing well. If Wawa or anyone has any complaint they should directly approach the Cm House and their issues will be resolved,” said the chief minister.

The CM asked the elders to also play their role in making the anti-polio vaccination campaigns successful.

He directed the chief secretary and other officers to take notice when the elders complained of irregularities in Education and other departments in Waziristan.

Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry said he has visited Wana twice and he will visit the place again to keep a check on the government departments in the area and other parts of merged districts.

He paid tributes to Wana and Saeed Wazir for promoting the cause of education in an area that had faced terrorism for years.

The CS said the Ummah Welfare Trust and other donors and supporters should also be appreciated for doing the noblest job in this remote and once troubled area.

He said the government departments in Wana and other areas were doing well but if there was any complaint that will be addressed to improve performance.

Secretary Education Motasim Billah said the government had run a successfully enrollment drive during which over 1.6 million students were enrolled.

Haroon Badshah Kakakhel and Wawa president Rahmat Ullah Wazir gave a presentation about how Wawa started work within limited resources some 20 years back and later launched schools, orphanage, introduced scholarships and planted olive and other trees on hundreds of acres land.

A government officer Sikander Wazir who had obtained Masters degree in Engineering narrated how he could not study further for lack of funds but Wawa supported him throughout till completion of his education.

He said many of those supported by the organization were doing an excellent job in several sectors across the country and abroad.