PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has appointed a woman as the head of the South Waziristan’s education department for the very first time in the province.
According to sources, Noor Khadija, who comes from a family of educators school has been linked with the education department for ten years, was appointed South Waziristan’s deputy district education officer.
Khadija in an interview said, “It was my long-standing desire to serve my community, specifically girls, to remove obstacles in the way of their education.
“As a woman, Fatima Jinnah proved that women could make a difference and play a decisive role to lead the society for positive change,” Khadija added.
Khadija said she will strive to provide girls schools with all missing facilities, to empower girls through education, “which is of paramount importance for a vibrant society”.
South Waziristan a district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, long wracked by militancy and where the female literacy rate is one of the lowest in the country.
According to 2017-2018 data collected by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s elementary and secondary education department, 58 percent of children aged between four and 14 years remain out of school in tribal districts.
And though militants have largely fled the region to neighboring Afghanistan and attacks have drastically reduced, there are years of damage to the region’s education infrastructure to undone.
Posting Khadija on the key position will improve girls’ education in the South Waziristan district. It will be a considerable relief for female teachers, now they will be able to share their problems with her.
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