LAKKI MARWAT: A government girls high school was reopened in the Dallokhel area here the other day after eight years of closure.
A ceremony to this effect was attended among others by deputy commissioner Hamidullh Khan, district police officer Nazir Khan, district education officer Nargis Jabeen, teachers, students and their parents.
The district administration and elementary and secondary education department officials cut the ribbon and cake to formally open the school.
Officials said a former class-IV employee, who had been removed from service over misconduct, had closed the institution.
Officials said he was given the job in return for donating land for the school.
They said the prolonged closure of the school turned the classrooms in ruins with windows shattered, walls cracked, and blackboards buried under layers of dust.
The officials said the district administration did not let bureaucratic red tape stall the rehabilitation process and released Rs600,000 for school’s renovation, while police were deployed to maintain law and order situation.
Now the school is repaired, classrooms cleaned and classes resumed marking a powerful victory for education, governance and community uplift, they said.
“For last eight years, not a single class had been held in the school, locking away the dreams of around 300 girls,” DEO Jabeen said.
She said the education department had made an alternative arrangement by shifting the students to a nearby primary school already crowded beyond capacity to continue education.
DC Hamidullah said direct intervention of divisional commissioner Khalid Mehmood and chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah reignited the light of education in the rural locality.
He said his administration took swift action and ensured that the long-neglected school was reopened and restored.
Mr Hamidullah said when he first visited the school along with elders he unlocked the gates and found a crumbling building with damaged walls, broken furniture, and wild overgrowth inside.
“The restoration work began at once and all classrooms were whitewashed, washrooms cleaned, and the boundary wall properly fenced, besides chairs, tables, and blackboards were freshly painted and neatly arranged,” he said.
The DC said the school ground, verandas, and staffroom were cleared and cleaned, while electrical fittings, water supply lines, and the main gate area were thoroughly checked.
He also thanked DPO Nazir Khan for extending full cooperation to the district administration throughout the rehabilitation process.
“The police maintained strict security at the site and supported the reopening efforts, further strengthening public confidence in local governance,” he said.
Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2025.
