Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Faisal Khan Tarakai on Wednesday said that education was the worst affected sector due to militancy in the all merged tribal districts. The terrorists had particularly targeted the girls’ schools, which were now being made functional, he said while chairing a meeting to review the progress on education sector projects in the Khyber District. Besides, KP Minister for Religious Affairs Adnan Qadri, Member of the National Assembly Iqbal Afridi and Member of the Provincial Assembly Abdul Ghani Afridi, officers of the District Education Department and students from the Khyber District attended the meeting. The meeting discussed in detail the situation of the education sector, completed and ongoing schemes and other problems. Minister Tarakai assured the elected public representatives that the second shift in area schools would be started within a week, so that all boys and girls of the district get the opportunity of getting education in their respective localities. He said that the provincial government was initiating the rented building school project in the province, including the merged districts. Along with the provision of free textbooks, a project of free school bags was also being started for the merged districts. Besides the opening of 150 affected primary and 50 middle schools in rented buildings, 150 more middle level schools were also being established in rented buildings across the merged districts, he added. Similarly, he said, APL centres were being set up for religious seminaries while 32,000 girl students from Grade 6 to Grade 12 would also be paid stipend. The minister said that all facilities would be provided in 10 selected schools in each merged district while the process of standardization of 21 higher secondary schools would also be completed. Five examination halls were also being constructed in the schools of merged districts, he added. The minister further said that with the financial assistance of China, all kind of facilities were being provided in 50 schools while a project of the newly constructed schools was also nearing completion. The minister said that some 13,000 teachers would be recruited on permanent basis and some ad hoc appointments would also be made.