Bagrot Valley is located 17 km from the main town of Gilgit, and close to the Hunza Valley you may have heard or read about this area already. The valley is inhabited by approximately 6500 people of the Shia faith. The main villages lie anywhere from 1700 to 2400 metres above sea level, but summer settlements and high pastures
reach as high as 3500 to 4000 metres. The People of Bagrot are farmers, growing mainly wheat, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, apricots and nuts, and breeders of livestock, including goats, sheep and cattle. The main income-generating activities are day labour and service in the army or police. Many families do not have a regular income due to a lack of education and of opportunities.
As a member of the German/Pakistan Culture Area Karakorum Project (CAK), in 1990 I stayed in Datuchi/Bagrot for a year of research in Social Anthropology on the subject of the culture of Bagrot, particularly womenıs culture and development. At that time, there were only a small number of girls who had passed primary school privately and who, for lack of facilities, had no access to middle and high school education. Although on paper the Government girlsı primary schools had existed in four larger villages since 1991, no teachers had been appointed to Bagrot until recently.
In 1992, twenty girls were taught by Muhammad Hussein, B.A., brother of Ahmad Ali, in a private house in Datuchi.
In 1993, the number of students increased to 40. As no Government primary school teacher was teaching in Datuchi, some girls studied in primary classes and others in middle school classes. Two female teachers, Ms Rubab from Nomal and Mrs. Lavina from Gilgit, were appointed as full-time teachers for primary and middle school classes, and they were paid by private donations. Our private school shifted to an old and empty school building, located near the linkroad to Datuchi-Kot.
In 1994, the number of female students had increased to 70-80. One female teacher, Ms. Rubab, left her position at the school for private reasons. Due to the increasing number of students and a lack of educated local women, two local male teachers were appointed full-time, Mr. Safdar Ali, F.Sc., and Mr. Sardar Muhammad, DAE, civil. This decision was made in consultation with the girlsı parents. Expenses for the teachers continued to be covered privately.
In October 1995, I paid a visit to Bagrot to watch the progress of our private high school. Meanwhile, 118 girls were studying at all levels, from Infant to 10th class. Students in the middle and high school classes came from the villages of Datuchi, Sinakir, Hope, and Bulchi. Since its start in 1991, our private school has been open to female students from all villages. Some girls live an hourıs walk away from our school and cover this distance daily.
The current situation and the question of upgrading Datuchi Girls Primary School have been discussed with Government officials. They promised to support our school in its quest for a new school building. The old building with three rooms needed repairs and had become much too small to host 118 students. Also, it has been promised to upgrade Datuchi Girls PS after an additional three yearsı private funding.
With the support of a small German womenıs NGO, I was able to provide salary funds for three teachers for another three years and some additional funds for necessary repairs on the old building (window glass and nets, stoves, blackboards, plastering of walls and the verandah), and equipment (chairs, books) in October 1995).
In 1996 and 1997, a total of 16 girls passed matriculation exams, five in 1996 and eleven in 1997. In 1998, two students sat matriculation exams; results have not yet been announced.
The girls who passed middle school exams in 1995 and the matriculation exams in 1996 and 1997 are now working as health workers in the area of Bagrot and as primary school teachers in the villages of Hope and Sinakir.
Since the beginning of 1997, a local volunteer teacher, Mrs. Shimshat, has been teaching full-time along with the three teachers previously named. From June 1998 onward, she received a salary.
In 1997, the villagers of Datuchi provided voluntary support. They constructed a school wall and a schoolyard. For this purpose they even moved the linkroad to Datuchi-Kot, which had previously passed right alongside the school building.
In June 1998, I paid a second visit to Bagrot to watch our school projectıs progress. 118 girls were attending classes:
10th 05 students
9th 08 ³
8th 09 ³
7th 14 ³
6th 13 ³
5th 03 ³
4th 08 ³
3rd 12 ³
2nd 24 ³
1st 09 ³
infant 13 ³
Total 118
Female students come from the following villages:
Sinakir: 2; Hope: 4; Bulchi: 3; Oshikhandas: 1; Datuchi: 108.
The number of teachers in Monika Girls High School increased from one to five, both male and female.
Children in the primary classes meet in the boyıs high school building in the afternoon. Middle and high school classes take place in the old three-room building.
Meanwhile, a government girls middle school has been established in Farfui/Bagrot. Also, government girls primary schools are now operating in six villages, and three village communities founded English Medium Community schools in 1997 and 1998, funded by the parents, who are mainly teachers and wealthy farmers. But no further efforts have been made by the government for the private Girls High School, which has been running successfully since 1992.
Monika Girls High School Datuchi/Bagrot is still funded privately by the donors mentioned above, for purely humanitarian reasons. Until the establishment of our private high school, the area of Bagrot was almost completely without education for girls. For the purpose of social and economic progress in Bagrot this was an unbearable situation. And as the current spatial situation is counterproductive to the outstanding educational efforts of the local community and the girlsı in particular, we want to construct additional classrooms with the help of the local community.
Monika Schneid
Hamburg, August 1998