MANSEHRA: The class-IV employees here on Saturday alleged that police had been harassing them on the pretext of ensuring security at schools. They said that the education department had not provided them with arms and ammunition while the police wanted them to be equipped while on duty.

“Police have been threatening us with lodging an FIR if we don’t carry arms during duty, but the education department is yet to give arms and ammunition to the class-IV employees,” Zakir Hussain, district president of All Class-IV Employees Association, told mediapersons here.

He said that the government should appoint trained security guards because they were merely watchmen or peons and possessed no training of using arms.

Say govt should appoint trained security guards for educational institutions

Mr Hussain also alleged that the education department wanted them to be on duty round the clock, but according to their appointment letters they were hired only to perform eight hours duty a day.

He said that in Lassain Nawab and other parts of the district the SHOs of respective police stations were maltreating the watchmen in the name of schools’ security. He said that a watchman getting a meagre salary could not buy a gun and at least 100 rounds in accordance with the police demand to ensure security of students.

Mr Hussain, who is also senior vice-president in the provincial body of lower grade employees, said that their association had moved the Peshawar High Court, seeking exemption from carrying arms while on duty in schools.

GIRLS EDUCATION: The people of Balakot have demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to make functional the newly-built girls degree college in Balakot so that the local girls could continue education in their area after matriculation examinations.

“The local girls usually go to Mansehra and Abbottabad for college education, but now the construction of the first degree college in Hassan area has been completed and the government should announce admissions for the session 20016-17 here,” Niaz Rajput, a local councillor said while talking to mediapersons in Balakot on Saturday.

A group of local people, led by Mr Rajput, said that most of the residents of Balakot were poor and could not send their daughters to Mansehra and Abbottabad for college education.

“The new building of the degree college in Balakot was handed over to the education department some two years ago, but classes are yet to be started,” he complained.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2016