The incident came three days after militants bombed two other schools, one in Peshawar and the other in the Bajaur tribal region.
‘A girls' high school was blown up early Thursday morning in Shin Warsak town,’ 13 kilometres west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal region, local government official Allah Bagh Khan said.
He added that there was no loss of life in the explosion but it completely destroyed the school building.
Militants have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in Pakistan's northwest and its troubled tribal regions during the past couple of years.
At least 200 girls' schools in the northwest Swat valley were bombed during a two-year Taliban campaign to enforce sharia law.
The army, which is wrapping up a two-month campaign in Swat, has said it is poised to launch an assault into the tribal areas along the Afghan border to track down senior Taliban leaders, including Mehsud.
In the region Thursday morning, the military fired artillery at Taliban hideouts in Spinkai Raghzai and Sararogha villages of South Waziristan, a security official said

Taliban destroy 60% of schools in northwest Pakistan

Aug 04, 2009 – SWAT valley, Pakistan (July 14, 2009) Student World Assembly (SWA) has become increasingly concerned for citizens and students living in the northwestern Swat valley of Pakistan, where there has been ongoing violence due to the fighting between Pakistani Taliban groups and the military. The fighting has lead to the displacement of nearly two million people from their homes. Most of the refugees are living in tents set up in neighboring districts with inadequate facilities or assistance. Only ten percent have re-settled in camps set up by the government or agencies. Officials say about 700 militants have been killed in the military offensive, but hundreds of thousands citizens remain stranded in Swat valley because of curfews, absence of transport, and a lack of alternate housing. This is the largest internal displacement of people in Pakistan since August 1947, when the country split from India after independence from British rule. Swat Valley is located 100 miles from Islamabad, and was once a common tourist destination. In 2007 the Taliban took control of nearly eighty percent of the Swat Valley territory. Since the Taliban took over, they have committed serious human rights abuses in Swat Valley, including the unlawful killing of many government workers. Pakistani Taliban has publicly displayed over two dozen bodies of those who violated their edicts at the main square of Mingora, the Swat Valley area’s largest city, now known as “bloody square.” The Taliban has also implemented a campaign against secular education, particularly targeting female schools. In the past 18 months, the Taliban has destroyed over 170 schools, over 100 of which were girls’ schools, disrupting the education of over 50,000 students of various levels. An SWA Advocate residing in the SWAT district spoke of the Taliban disruption of the education system, stating, “6 students were shot in the Jehan Zeb College” and “educational institutions are being blown, blasted and buried by the Taliban.” The response to the presence of 30,000 Taliban insurgents in the Swat Valley has been the deployment of up to 15,000 government troops that often participate in indiscriminate use of heavy artillery and military operations. The current surge in fighting in SWAT began late April after militants dishonored a peace deal between pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Mohammad and the government of North West Frontier Province to end a two-year bloody conflict over imposition of Islamic Sharia law in the valley.

PFL made a presentation for approx 30-35 students, mostly A2 level and some of them were AS levels. PFL’s in-house reps of Cardiff and UEA gave the presentation about their respective university and after that PFL opened an information desk. Cardiff is a very popular university for the students of OASYS, especially for business studies. The overall session was very productive since now a lot of students know that PFL has a Cardiff university representative in their office. The counselor was also very pleased by the presentation and the information we shared with the students.

UNESCO in Pakistan

UNESCO Chair in the Conservation and Management of Historic Towns and Urban Centers (839), established in 2009 at the National College of Arts (Pakistan)

Fields/Disciplines: Architecture, archaeology, history, urban planning, anthropology, community studies, arts education Objectives:
To promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation in the fields of architecture, archaeology, history, urban planning, anthropology, community studies, and arts education. It will serve as a means of facilitating collaboration between high-level, internationally recognized researchers and teaching staff of the University and other institutions in Pakistan, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe.
To focus on graduate and post graduate levels of training in the skills needed for the conservation and management of the historic towns and urban centers of Pakistan and the region;
To focus on creating and sustaining linkages between stakeholders and creating platforms for communication and exchange;
To disseminate professional research and popular level information about heritage conservation and management, development and education;
To mainstream cultural heritage and to highlight its pivotal role in the development in the region.

Governance

DIL operates under the auspices of a US-based Board of Directors and a Pakistan-based Board of Trustees. DIL was granted tax-exempt status 501 (c) (3) by the IRS in February 2000. DIL was registered in July 2000 in Pakistan under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and donations received in Pakistan are tax-exempt. All members of the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees are volunteers and serve without compensation.

Focus on Female EducationFemale students consist of 60% of DIL’s student population. This is a great achievement given that the national literacy rate for women in Pakistan stands at only 38%.
US-Based GovernanceDIL operates under the governance of a US-based Executive Board that establishes organizational policies, develops strategic goals and initiatives and monitors projects to determine whether DIL’s educational and administrative standards are being met. In addition, the US-based Executive Board works closely with DIL’s Pakistan-based Board of Trustees in decision-making on all policy and project matters.
Community-Owned SchoolsDIL schools are community-owned and have a village education committee that provides support to teachers and ensures the community’s involvement and oversight.
Addressing the Needs of Rural Teachers and StudentsDIL’s Teacher Development Center works with rural teachers to improve their teaching skills and subject content knowledge. DIL collaborates with the teachers when developing lesson plans and teaching materials, etc. to ensure that their needs are fully met.
Activity-Based LearningIn this inquiry-based approach, students develop knowledge and understanding through engaging activities that help to foster creativity and critical thinking skills.
Low Dropout RateThe average student dropout rate for DIL schools in 2007 was only 2.5%, which is an enormous success considering the national dropout rate in Pakistan is 45%.
Oversight and TransparencyDIL takes great pride in its school and program monitoring system and has always maintained complete financial transparency. DIL’s monitoring framework consists of a three-tiered approach that includes local monitors, regional monitors and national monitoring visits conducted by DIL’s Board of Trustees and Executive Board members. The DIL accounts are audited annually by reputable accounting firms both in the US and Pakistan

What We Do (DIL)

DIL establishes, adopts and manages primary and secondary schools for underprivileged children in partnership with non-governmental organizations in all four provinces of Pakistan. In addition, DIL directly operates community schools in Punjab and Sindh. DIL has developed an educational approach that incorporates the following elements:
Local Partnerships- DIL’s unique approach to establishing and running schools in close partnership with regional NGOs and local communities has proven to be the most successful medium for providing education to students in the most remote regions of Pakistan.
Teacher Development- DIL recently opened the Teacher Development Center in Islamabad to provide ongoing in-service training as well as pre-service training for its teachers. The center, which caters to the needs of the rural teachers, designs, plans and conducts training sessions based on student-centered teaching methods.
Curriculum Development- DIL enhances the standard government curriculum to prepare students for future success. The curriculum being developed is based on best practices used throughout the world and better equips students to succeed in the global marketplace.
Child-Centered Education- DIL actively engages in student-centered teaching at its schools. This approach is an alternative to the traditional system of repetitive memorization and has been shown to improve student achievement. Child-centered education emphasizes creativity as well as social skills and critical thinking skills.
Access to Technology- DIL is in the process of implementing a plan to outfit its schools with computer labs so students will have greater access to technology. DIL is also developing educational software specifically designed to supplement DIL’s curriculum.

(Islamabad) The Ministry of Education on the instructions of the Federal Minister of Education, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, has asked the people to give their opinion on the draft of the Education Policy prepared by the previous Government.
The draft Education Policy designed by Shaukat Aziz's Government has been placed on the Education Ministry's website: www.moe.gov.pk. The general public of Pakistan has been requested to read the draft of previous Govt's Policy and give their opinion on it to the Ministry of Education.
The opinion of the people will be reflected in the coming Education Policy. The sources in the Education Ministry has revealed that the proposed new Education Policy will be adopted through consensus among all the stakeholders. It is also learned that the new Education Policy will be widely debated in National Assembly prior to its implementation.
Islamabad, April 24, 2008
PRESS RELEASE

Donor's Conference for Education Sector will soon be called. Quality accreditation system for schools being launched: Ahsan labal
(Islamabad) Federal Minister for Education, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, has said that Government will allocate its best resources for the uplift of the education sector in Pakistan. He expressed these views while talking to the Japanese Ambassador who called on the Minister here in Islamabad.
Quality accreditation system for Public Sector Schools will be launched to ensure the best quality imparting of knowledge. The quality of Public Sector Schools will be brought at par with the private schools, the Minister added. Ahsan Iqbal apprised the Japanese Ambassador that Donors' Conference for Education sector in Pakistan will soon be called. There is a considerable coordination gap between the Donors' agencies and the Government of Pakistan and this gap needs to be filled. The Minister also spoke regarding the coming Education Policy and said that special emphasis will be laid on implementation of the Policy.

Haseen Story About Learning

I am Haseena Luk from Chutto Faqeer Luk and I am 17 years old. I have been fond of education since childhood. However, there was no school in our village and I was not allowed to travel to any nearby city or town to seek schooling. Through fellow villagers, I became aware that a school was going to be established in our village. There was not a single literate young woman who could fill the role of teacher so one was appointed from a nearby village.
One day, I was playing in the street when the teacher passed by. She asked me why I was not in school. I told her I was fatherless and poor and my mother was unable to purchase books or afford my education. My mother married my father, a 55 year old man, when she was only 14. He died when he was 62 and my mother ended up shouldering the responsibility of five children. She supported us by laboring in the fields during cotton-picking season. My teacher came to my home and met with my mother in order to discuss my education with her. My mother again refused and disclosed poverty as the only reason. My teacher assured her that full assistance would be provided and she would have no expense. She agreed and gave me permission to attend school. I proved to be a good student. I often grasped things quicker than other students and I was made class monitor. My teacher often asked me to help teach my classmates.
After junior school, I got admission in Sojhro Model School Sagyoon and continued my education. Often I achieved first position in class. My teachers taught me with love and patience. When I entered Class 7, my mother arranged my marriage to a 50-year-old married man who had children older than me. I cried and refused to go through with the marriage, but nobody listened to me. When my teachers found out, they tried to stop my mother, but she refused. She said that she too was married to an old man at a young age, so why shouldn't her daughter? My mother argued that she was not willing to let her daughter get educated because literate girls find their own husbands. My teachers tried their best but my mother would say, "Haseena is my daughter and her future is up to me. Nobody has the right to interfere in our domestic affairs."
I was married to the old man when I passed Class 7. After my marriage I remained persistently ill. I did not want to live any more.
Then one day Ms. Shamshad came to our village and I went to see her and cried a lot. She told me that situations could not be improved by crying. She said, "if that was the case, then why wouldn't all women simply cry once and be rid of their problems? Indeed this is not the remedy. We should face our issues with a smile and manage them with courage." She made me realize that I was literate, unlike other girls in the area. I was smart and could handle the situation. She advised me to improve my relationship with my husband and get his consent for further education. I listened and finally got him to agree and rejoined Class 8 at the DIL- IRC School in Sagyoon. During the school year I became pregnant and my fellow students and teachers were very cooperative, caring and friendly. When I was unable to sit in a student's chair, teachers offered me their chairs and encouraged me to attend school regularly. I attempted my last paper in the final stages of pregnancy and delivered a baby boy on the same day. I have now passed Class 10 in first division.
I am now the mother of two children. I am satisfied with my life because I can nurture my children better. I am very thankful to Development in Literacy for improving the lives of poor and vulnerable girls living in remote and deprived areas. I am grateful for your kind support.