PESHAWAR: The ongoing military drive that brought miseries of all kinds for the civilian population of the Bajaur Agency, also affected the educational activities as all the institutions in four out of the total seven Tehsils of the agency have remained closed for the past two months.

“A total of 91,000 students were enrolled in schools in the agency. About 50,000 of them have migrated to other districts, while a very meagre number of the remaining 41,000 attend their classes in the three relatively calm Tehsils of the agency,” said Haji Gul Rahman, agency education officer, while talking to The News on telephone.

He said the Education Department was trying to make temporary arrangements for the students at the makeshift residential camps set up by the government in Malakand, Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Bajaur. He said teachers would be transferred from the agency to the relief camps so that the time of the students is saved from being wasted.

Tribal sources from the agency told this correspondent that all the schools in the restive Mamond, Chamarkand, Nawagai and parts of Riyasat Tehsils had been completely closed since the start of the operation in August last. Many of the government as well as private schools have been razed due to heavy aerial bombardment while several have been captured by militants. However, educational institutions in Salarzai, Uthmankhel and Barang Tehsils are open, but thinly attended by students.

The two public sector colleges — one each for boys and girls — and a management sciences institution that are located in comparatively peaceful areas of the agency, have also been closed. The political administration is reluctant to open the colleges for the fear of any untoward situation.

Students in the areas where schools are open also prefer to stay at homes instead of going to school out of fear of shelling and bombardment. As for the restive Tehsils of the districts, they present a completely deserted look, as most of its population has migrated to other areas. Many villages, particularly in Charmang region, like Loisam, Rashakar, Inziri, Tangkhata and others, have been completely vacated by the residents. This was the area where stiff resistance was offered to security forces by the militants in the initial days of the military operation. Jetfighters and gunship helicopters resorted to massive shelling on these areas, killing many of the civilians. Most of these villages have been completely destroyed and now security forces claim to have taken control of these areas. Mamond tehsil, which houses the top leadership of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, is also among the most volatile areas of the agency.