Tribal students seek fee remission

KHYBER AGENCY: Tribal students, enrolled in the University of Peshawar (UoP), have asked the government to give them relief by reducing the burden of expenses on their education.
Ziaur Rehman Wazir, a student of Journalism department hailing from Wana, South Waziristan, said the UoP did not provide any help to the students in fee remission. “We have been suffering since the launch of war against terror in 2002 but the government is not taking any step to facilitate us,” he added.

He said due to curfew in his area he couldn’t reach Peshawar to attend the radio-training programme in the department. Roohullah Raheel, who is studying in Gender Studies department and belongs to Bajaur Agency, said a delegation of Bajaur students called on the vice-chancellor UoP to seek fee remission but he refused.

“Afterwards, we called on Akhundzada Chettan, MNA from Bajaur, who promised us that our problems will be resolved soon but to no avail,” he said, adding that the MNA did not work for the betterment of the students. He said the tribal areas had suffered enormous losses due to the military operation and militancy but the government ignored the people including students.

Amanullah, resident of Mohmand Agency and a student of Pakistan Studies said that UoP did not allow fee remission to tribal students while scholarships were awarded to the students from Malakand division. He said the Higher Education Commission had announced special internship programme for the students of the Malakand division while the students hailing from the tribal areas had been neglected. He appealed to the government to remit fee of the students of the tribal areas, who had been affected by the operation and militancy like that of Malakand division.

When contacted the Registrar in the UoP, Shireenzada Khattak said: “I have no authority to do anything in the remission of the fee as it was the responsibility of finance division of the university.”

When contacted the treasurer in the Finance Division, Dr Sanaullah said: “If the government would direct us for fee remission to the students of the tribal areas we will help them.” He reminded that scholarships to the students of the Malakand division were given after the government’s approval