August 18, 2006	Friday	Rajab 22, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

SIALKOT, Aug 17: The education department has sent proposals to the federal, provincial and district governments to convert the schools closed down due to rundown condition of their buildings into dispensaries or community centers.

The school buildings in Bajwat are being used as cattle sheds.

Official sources told Dawn here on Thursday that the proposal had been sent following mounting political pressure on education department.

They said the department could not reopen these schools as their future seemed bleak.

They claimed that the schools were located in the bordering villages along the working boundary and no teacher wanted to go to these schools. Whenever a teacher was appointed, he used his political influence and cancelled his appointment. Due to this reason, these schools were finally closed.

The schools were opened during the reign of prime minister Muhammad Khan Junejo.

Meanwhile, 50 of 2,852 government schools, with 13,000 teachers, have been closed in the district due to teachers’ shortage, sources added.

They said of these 50 schools, the local villagers have converted 10 into cattle sheds.

Meanwhile, 58 girls and boys high schools in the district have been running without head teachers since long and the department failed to fill in these posts.

OMBUDSMAN: The Punjab ombudsman taking suo motu notice of a news item has directed the EDO (education) to reopen the schools in Bajwat.

He directed the EDO to personally ensure that staff was posted in these schools and appear in his secretariat in Lahore on September 20 with progress report.