PESHAWAR: The newly appointed education minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province Akbar Ayub Khan has just passed his matriculation examinations. The KP government, however, defended the appointment of the lawmaker on Saturday, who earlier held the ministerial post of communication and works and was elected from Haripur constituency. But the new education minister Akbar Ayub Khan, who previously held the Communication and Works portfolio, appears under-qualified for the job. The official website of the KP Provincial Assembly states his educational qualification as matric. The same can be found in his papers submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), where he states his occupation as a businessman and a landlord and that he has studied only till the matriculation level. On the other hand, former advisor to the chief minister on education Ziaullah Bangash holds a Master’s degree. Arif Ahmed Zai has been appointed as a special assistant at the minerals department. Shafiullah Khan has become the special assistant for anti-corruption. Taj Mohammad has been appointed as a special assistant to prisons and jails. Ahmed Hussain Shah has been appointed as a special assistant in the department of population welfare. Above all, Wazeer Zada has been appointed as the special assistant of minority affairs. Further defending the decision, Yousafzai said that there is no bar or requirement of a specialized qualification in democracy to serve at a particular position. “The only thing that is required is the skills needed to run a department,” he said and added that masses have elected him to serve them. He further claimed that Akbar has passed his matriculation from a renowned institution and if anyone has passed out from such institutions then they have a vision of dealing with the things.