Students at a government school in Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa compelled to take classes in open ground despite harsh cold weather.
The Government Primary School Mitin Kaur, located in the Tehsil Yaka Ghund, lacks basic furniture for both students and teachers, including the head teacher. As a result, more than 120 enrolled children are forced to study without proper seating arrangements.
Due to the cold floors of the classrooms, students are often required to sit outdoors under the sun to continue their lessons. Additionally, the school’s four walls were damaged several years ago, further exacerbating the challenging learning environment.
Parents and residents of the area have demanded that the provision of furniture be ensured to provide a better educational environment.
The head teacher said a formal request had been made for acquiring furniture two months back, but to no avail.
According to a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department report publihed in May 2025, over 10,000 government schools across 28 settled districts of the province were deprived of essential facilities such as boundary walls, electricity, washrooms, and clean drinking water.
The report said that more than 5,000 schools were without electricity, over 2,000 had no provision for clean drinking water, and a similar number lack proper washroom facilities and boundary walls.
The report stated that 2,211 primary schools did not have electricity, with the highest numbers recorded in Mansehra (344) and Upper Kohistan (252). In Upper Kohistan, 208 schools are without clean drinking water, and 1,253 primary schools lack washroom facilities.
Of the 160 middle schools in the province, 136 were without boundary walls, 71 lack clean drinking water, and 57 have no washrooms. In the provincial capital, Peshawar, 21 schools were without electricity, 15 lack clean drinking water, 17 had no washrooms, and 8 were without boundary walls.
