PESHAWAR: Minister for elementary and secondary education Faisal Khan Tarakai on Wednesday said education was the worst affected sector in all the merged districts due to militancy. “Terrorists have particularly targeted girls schools, which are now being made functional in rented buildings,” he said while chairing a meeting to review the progress on education sector projects in the Khyber district. Minister for religious affairs Adnan Qadri, MNA Iqbal Afridi and MPA Abdul Ghani Afridi, officers of the district education department and students attended the meeting. Mr Tarakai assured the elected public representatives that the second shift in schools would be started within a week so that all the boys and girls got the opportunity of getting education in their respective localities. He said the provincial government was initiating the rented building school project in the province, including the merged districts. “Along with the provision of free textbooks, a project of free schoolbags is also being started in the merged districts.” “Besides opening 150 affected primary and 50 middle schools in rented buildings, 150 more middle schools would also be established in rented buildings across the merged districts,” the minister said. Similarly, he said, 32,000 girl students from grade 6 to 12 would also be paid stipend. The minister said all facilities would be provided in 10 selected schools in each merged district, while the process of standardisation of 21 higher secondary schools would also be completed. “Five examination halls were also being constructed in the schools,” he added.