Education reforms gain ground in erstwhile Fata FATA amid development push
PESHAWAR (APP): For generations, the tribal people of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) carried the burden of poverty, illiteracy and underdevelopment, leaving them far behind of masses of others districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa in education.
Even decades after the creation of Pakistan, tribal communities saw the rest of the country advance educationally, while their own regions remained deprived of basic facilities such as quality schools, roads infrastructure, clean water, agriculture and healthcare.
This prolonged neglect widened socio-economic inequalities, fueled unemployment and entrenched illiteracy so deeply that it began negatively shaping the future of the tribal population.
The biggest blow came from the prolonged war against terrorism, which pushed the region even further into educational backwardness.
Schools were destroyed, teachers threatened and thousands of families especially girls were forced to abandon education altogether due to terrorist attacks and suicide blasts.
“There was a time when we sent our daughters to school with fear in our hearts, which is now no more due to Govt successful operations against terrorism,” recalls Asghar Afridi, a resident of Khyber district.
He said militants targeted our schools because they understood the transformative power of education.
Scores of blown up schools in Khyber, Bajaur, North and South Waziristan, Mohmand and Kurram were reconstructed and opened for students.
“The anti-state elements tried to deprive tribal children of their basic right to education but failed completely due to our military sucessful anti terrorism operations against Fitnaul Khwarij,” said former MNA Shah Ghee Gul Afridi.
“The successful military operations followed by the 2018 merger by then PMLN Govt under the 25th Constitutional Amendment changed the literacy trajectory of the tribal districts, and remarkable progress has since been witnessed.”
Following the merger, a multi-layered development programme under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) began reshaping the education landscape.
Syed Zainullah Shah, Chief Planning Officer at the Higher Education Department, outlined plan of establishment of an Education City in South Waziristan that would host campuses of leading universities, including UET Peshawar and the Agriculture University, alongside private institutions, creating unprecedented learning opportunities for tribal students.
He said public-sector university in Bajaur, spread over 4,000 kanal, is also in the pipeline with Rs 1,000 million allocated.
“These projects are not just buildings,” Shah emphasized. “They are a promise that tribal youth will no longer be left behind.”
To ease financial barriers, a Rs 1,700 million stipends project has been launched to support talented students in public-sector colleges and universities across the merged districts. Meanwhile, the “Transport for All” programme worth Rs 1,440 million has provided 46 Hiace buses to various colleges.
For students preparing for competitive exams and military careers, a long-awaited public cadet college has been established in Wana, marking a significant intellectual revival in South Waziristan.
Visible progress is now emerging. Male enrollment has increased to 419,425, while female enrollment has reached 219,833—reflecting a renewed confidence among tribal families in the education system.
Alongside the cadet colleges in Wana South Waziristan and Razmak North Waziristan, another cadet college in Mohmand is fully functional, offering world-class residential education. The first-ever FATA University at Dara Adamkhel is now offering programmes up to PhD level, with a 50% fee subsidy for tribal students.
Libraries are being established in all seven merged districts. Ten new colleges have been completed bringing the total to 55 while over 300 lecturers and subject specialists have been recruited to strengthen academic quality.
Additionally, the solarization of colleges worth Rs 1.6 billion and the launch of 5,500 youth internships costing Rs 1.399 billion promise a brighter and more sustainable future.
These achievements are not just policy milestones but they are deeply personal victories.
“I lost my school once to a subversive act of terrorism,” said Hussain Afridi from Bara, Khyber district. “But now I dream of becoming a doctor, as new schools, colleges and a university in the merged districts have made higher education possible for us.”
His story echoes the aspirations of thousands of young men and women who now see education not merely as a right, but as a path toward dignity, empowerment and peace.
After decades of neglect, education is proving to be the most powerful weapon against poverty, extremism and illiteracy in erstwhile FATA.
The merged districts are finally being woven into the national fabric of progress and for the first time in generations, children from these mountains and valleys are entering classrooms with books in their hands and hope in their hearts.
