ISLAMABAD: Students are likely to miss more classes because the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) is considering keeping the model and federal government schools/colleges closed for another week.

More than 20 federal government and model schools and colleges in Islamabad could not be opened after the summer vacations on August 11. The government had initially decided to reopen the schools on August 31. However, it is now thinking of keeping them closed until September 6.

For the last 19 days, the schools have been shut to provide accommodation to thousands of police personnel called from Punjab and Azad Kashmir in the wake of the sit-ins in the city.

“The situation is still not clear. The government had decided to reopen the schools on September 1. It is about time the children who have already missed so many days of studies returned to classes,” said a CADD official, explaining how the interior ministry had requested CADD to provide the buildings of schools and colleges to accommodate the security personnel. Roughly 2,000 policemen from Punjab have been staying in classrooms at ICG, F-6/2. The Ministry of Interior has promised that no damage to the property would occur, the official added.

Most educational institutions in the capital are accommodating security personnel called in for the sit-ins

The head of the computer science department at the Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) F-6/2, Saba Faisal, explained how the staff was already trying to figure out ways to make up for the lost time.

“The teachers are willing to put in an extra hour after school timings. We need the consent from parents if they are willing to cooperate and allow their children to stay back for an hour of extra class,” said Ms Faisal.

According to another lecturer, teachers usually followed a set pattern, from August till December, to finish the course. Attendances decline after the winter holidays while January and February are utilised for some more study and tests. And by March, the students start preparing for exams in April/May.

“These are followed by over two-month-long summer vacations,” explained the lecturer.

Parents too are disturbed because their children have been away from schools since too long.

Anisa Rehman says it is not easy to explain to her daughters how they will have to cut down on their playtime. “But it will have to be done,” she said.

However, in a statement issued on Thursday evening, CADD said it had written a letter to the chief commissioner and the additional interior secretary, asking them to get the federal schools and colleges vacated from the police as soon as possible, so that classes could commence from September 1.

After a visit to these government educational institutions, it was discovered that the men have pushed classroom desks and chairs along the walls and spread carpets on which they sleep. Ten to 15 men sleep in each classroom after their 12-hour shifts.

Police official Kamran Abbas, who has come from Gujranwala, seemed pleased with the arrangements. “Our stay here is quite comfortable. The food is good, it mostly includes chicken Biryani,” he said walking towards Super Market with his colleagues.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2014