Girls Enrolled In Catholic School Hit By Taliban

INTRODUCTION

The Catholic girls' school of the Sisters of the Presentation in Sangota, in the heart of the Swat valley (province of Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa), "reopened a few months ago. It has more than 200 enrollees and is in the process of complete reconstruction" said Sister Riffat Sadiq, part of the team of educators, formerly headmistress of the same school. The institute, founded in 1962, was forced to close in 2007 and, in 2009, was destroyed by the Taliban, who then ruled the valley. In the campaign against female education, Taliban groups forced the closure of more than 400 schools and 150 were destroyed or affected by the bombings. In the Spring of 2012, the school of the Sisters of the Presentation – whose specific charisma is to work for education – has reopened. In a few months, enrollment has risen up to 200 "but as soon as more classrooms are completed, there will be a lot more," notes Sister Riffat, remembering that before the forced closure, the school had over 1,000 girl students.

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“The girls enrolled are almost all Muslims, of tribal families and very poor. The local population is happy, sustains and encourages us a lot for this work which is being carried out. We trust in God’s Providence. I think this is a sign of hope, even thinking about the story of Malala Yusufzai. Education is the heart of the Sisters of the Presentation’s mission, “it is fundamental for the growth and development of the country; in this way, we give a contribution to our nation,” she concludes. The Sisters of the Presentation, have been in the Indian subcontinent for over 100 years, managing nine schools in three provinces of Pakistan (Sindh, Punjab, Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa), providing education to more than 7,000 girls and young women, mostly Muslim.

 

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