New directives ban music, phones, social media sharing as province grapples with education crisis
New strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been issued for girls’ schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
As per the SOPs, it is mandatory to obtain permission from the Director of Higher Education before organizing any function.
Music, dancing, modeling or any similar form of performance was completely banned under the new directives, along with the use of mobile phones during school hours and events.
Additionally, all students must wear their uniform while participating in any event, with videos or photos of events not to be shared on social media.
Read: Girls education still a dream in KP?
These measures come amid a long-running education crisis in the province, which has struggled with gaps in access to schooling long before the directives.
Even before the 2025 floods, girls in many districts regularly dropped out of school after primary grades due to cultural norms, lack of nearby institutions and weak educational infrastructure, making sustained female education “still a dream” in parts of K‑P, especially in remote areas such as Upper Kohistan and Dabir, where families face obstacles in sending them to school.
The situation was further exacerbated by the devastating floods of August 2025. According to official data at the time, nearly 4.9 million children in K‑P remained out of school, including about 2.9 million girls, as flood damage to hundreds of schools pushed many students further away from classrooms.
Read more: Flooding exacerbates girls’ education crisis
Flood-related devastation was widespread and damaged or destroyed learning environments that already lacked basic facilities such as boundary walls, sanitation and safe drinking water, factors that disproportionately affect girls’ continued participation.
Education activists and observers have repeatedly warned that the amplified effects of natural disasters and long-standing systemic challenges, including inadequate facilities and cultural barriers, have widened the gender gap in schooling.
They have called for rebuilding damaged school buildings and gender-sensitive policies to go hand in hand with efforts to retain girls in educational institutions.
