By Rafiullah Mandokhel
ZHOB (Parliament Times): The district education department in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders kicked off its annual school enrolment campaign for the 2026 academic year, setting a target of enrolling more than 6,000 new students in government-run schools across the district.
Addressing a press conference, the District Education Officer Sheikh Musa Khan Mandokhel said a total of 6,485 children, including 3,847 boys and 2,636 girls, would be enrolled in public sector schools as part of the enrollment initiative.
The EDO was flanked by District Manager of the Education Support Programme (ESP-UNICEF) Razziq Jan Kakar, DOE Wazir Khan Nasar, DDO Zhob Sheikh Daulat Khan Mandokhel, DDO Kakar Khurasan Nasrullah Kakar, president of the teachers’ association Syed Mashhood Shah Akhwandzada, president of the clerks’ association Malak Sohbat Khan Mandokhel and other representatives.
Moreover, focal person of the education department Abdul Hanan Hariphal, Ajab Khan Kakar, Syed Jahangir Shah, Abdul Sattar Mandokhel and journalist Rafiullah Mandokhel were also present at the press conference held at the district education office.
The DEO Musa Khan said the campaign would also be implemented at the cluster level to ensure maximum outreach.
“All available resources will be utilized to achieve the target,” he vowed, adding that free textbooks and other reading-writing material would also be distributed among the students.
He noted that mass announcements would be made in urban areas through loudspeakers, while walks and seminars would be organized to encourage parents to send their children to schools. Appealing to people from all walks of life, he urged collective efforts to ensure that out-of-school children are enrolled.
ESP Coordinator Razziq Jan Kakar said the campaign was being carried out jointly by the education department, ESP, GTA, APCA and CPD. This year’s drive is being held under the slogan, “Our dream: A book in every child’s hands.”
He added that, to promote environmental awareness, 4,000 saplings would be planted in government schools across the district. So far, 2,200 saplings have already been distributed as part of the initiative.
DOE Wazir Khan Nasar said that with the recent induction of teachers under the SBK and on a contractual basis, nearly all urban and rural schools in the district have been made functional. He further said that textbooks had been received and would be dispatched to schools within the week.
APCA president Malak Sohbat Khan Mandokhel and GTA president Maulana Mashhood Shah Akhwandzada also appealed to parents and community leaders to support the enrollment drive. They emphasized that education is a fundamental right of every child and a shared societal responsibility that demands collective commitment.