Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur districts are affected by the ethnic Baloch insurgency – often described as an unsafe and deadly cobweb of violence, with the security forces being the primary target. However, as Baloch separatists keep targeting civil-military security forces, the Baloch youth is increasingly turning to education, with ever more education facilities available now, with three fully functional universities.
Turbat is the biggest university in the Kech district. The other two districts – Panjgur and Gwadar now boast full universities.
Turbat used to be a sub-campus of Baluchistan University but today it is a full-fledged higher education institution.
The English language department at the University of Turbat in Baluchistan, among so many other disciplines, is a beacon of light in a region that is known more for nationalist violence than for knowledge.
Professor Dr. Shah Mir Baloch, the head of the department, has a very strong conviction about the importance of education.
In the video here in this post, Dr Baloch conveys a very strong message to people outside the restive province, despite the various socio-political problems around him and his colleagues.
Shari Baloch ( also in the video) is one of the 100s of students at the English department of Turbat University and is full of big aspirations for a bright career ahead. She is among thousands of male and female students who now have higher education opportunities in Baluchistan.
Despite several handicaps, teachers at the Turbat, Panjgur and Gawadar universities are determined to continue their mission of empowerment of society through knowledge. Therein lies the hope for the youth as well for Baluchistan – to move away from violent politics to a more informed and inclusive socio-political order.
