Afghan schools asked to shift from residential areas

PESHAWAR (NNI): Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) has asked the management of the schools for Afghan refugees to shift to other places.

An official of the UNHCR has said that talks were underway with Pakistani officials for solution of the problems faced by the Afghan schools in Hayatabad. He hoped that these schools would remain open till the end of the current academic year.

The Afghan schools in Peshawar are teaching Afghan curricula. Most of these schools are run on the fee collected from the students.

More than 40 primary, middle and higher secondary schools are operation in Hayatabad.

PDA officials say that besides the Afghan schools, management of two Pakistani schools have also been asked to shift to some other place. A representative of the Afghan school, Haji Sher Shah said they were holding talks with the UNHCR officials and were demanding of them that the PDA be asked not to close the schools at this stage.

A UNHCR official, Niaz Ahmed, said that they were holding talks with Pakistani officials and hoped that the Afghan schools will be allowed to operate till the end of this year. He said.

"We have received information that schools, both Afghan and Pakistani, in Hayatabad and other residential areas have been closed. We want that no one is deprived from the right of education. We have held talks with the PDA and we hope that the problem will be resolved."

He said that the problem would be resolved during the summer vacations, two months latter and the schools might be shifted to other areas at the beginning of the new year.