RAWALPINDI: Tensions between government school teachers and local police resulted in a tussle between the two groups over security arrangements for government schools in the city, and teachers have alleged that local police officials misbehaved with them.

In response to this, the Punjab Teachers Association (PTA) has threatened to strike next week.

Pirwadhai police on Tuesday visited the Government Boys High School, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Sector-4, and allegedly misbehaved with school headmaster Raja Tanveer Satti, and other schoolteachers.

“Police officials from Pirwadhai police station called the school on Tuesday about the inspection of security arrangements, but arrived in the evening and asked that more be done for security,” Mr Satti said.

He said the school had installed barbed wire and a bunker, and had deployed trained guards.

However, police said the school should install razor wire instead, and that the school still lacked a walk through gate, and threatened to register an FIR against the headmaster.

Mr Satti said he told the police that the security arrangements were made according to government directives and according to the funds available with the school administration.

He said the local police misbehaved with him and other teachers.

After being contacted by the teachers, PTA district president Saghir Alam informed the education department of the tensions between the teachers and the police and said the teachers would go on strike in such circumstances.

“It’s a very difficult time for schoolteachers, that instead of focusing on students’ studies, the government and police have forced them to do the work of watchmen,” Mr Alam told Dawn.

He said teachers were being asked to take an hourly round of the school to man the premises. Mr Alam said it was impossible for teachers with no proper training to act as guards.

He said it was the government’s duty to provide guards or police to man school premises, and teachers should be responsible for educating and building up students’ character.

When contacted, Station House Officer (SHO) Chaudhry Riaz said local police visited the school on orders from the provincial government, in order to point out security lapses.

“The police asked the school administration to improve security measures, as it is an ‘A’ category school, [which means that] more than 1,000 students are studying at the school,” he said.

He said there are over nine ‘A’ category schools within the jurisdiction of Pirwadhai police, and that police had visited all of them to ensure that the directives were being implemented, otherwise the schools will be sealed.

He said the teachers were creating an issue, but the police was bound to implement the provincial government’s directives.

Executive District Officer Education Qazi Zahoorul Haq told Dawn that the teachers were wrong to say the funds were not available with the provincial government, as the government had released funding to all schools for security arrangements.

“The behaviour of the police with the teachers is humble, but they had to work and check the security arrangements.

The education department will look into the matter and ensure better coordination between teachers and local police over security arrangements,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2016