FAISALABAD, Nov 13: Thousands of students of the state-run educational institutions had the ‘shortest day’ at schools as they were sent home minutes after they reached there because their teachers headed towards the chief minister’s public meeting here on Tuesday.

Sources said the district administration had asked the education department to transport nearly 4,000 teachers of government schools to the chief minister’s show to make it a success. Scores of buses were placed at the disposal of the assistant education officers to do the job.

Higher officials bound the headmasters of schools to ensure attendance of the teachers and suspend all classes as soon as possible on Tuesday. They were even threatened that they would face the music if any teacher remained absent. The ruling party leaders, who claimed having floated the idea of ‘Literary Punjab’, were well aware of such instructions given by the Punjab government, a district government officer told Dawn, requesting anonymity.

He said the government high-ups often delivered speeches during their functions that budget of education was Rs75 billion in 2000 and which had now surpassed Rs200 billion, a substantial increase to strengthen this department. “But how they would explain the wrong decisions of the government”.

This correspondent visited various institutions and found them locked even in school timings. At some places, students were busy playing cricket on roads and different grounds.

A high school headmaster, who wished not to be named, said they had left with no option but to send students home as attendance of teachers was mandatory at the programme of the chief minister. The regime, he said, had been using teachers effectively in every sphere of life.

Punjab Teachers Union Secretary-General Hafiz Ghulam Mohyuddin criticised the policy and said it’s a pity that the architects of nation were being used to make a political event successful.

EDO (Education) Mumtaz Shah was not available for comment. — Mohammad Saleem>