ISLAMABAD: Private school operators are perplexed by the authorities’ change of heart towards schools operating in residential areas after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) began sealing private schools again.

On Thursday, the CDA’s Building Control section sealed Asas International School for operating in a house in F-8/4. The authority had already sealed Schola Nova, which was operating in the same sector, and a private school in Street 51, F-10/4 a few days ago.

The CDA sealed these schools after terming them ‘new’ institutions, while their operators say they merely shifted already-operating schools to these premises from other leased residential buildings after their landlords forced them to vacate the properties.

Private Schools Association President Zofran Elahi said that on the one hand, CDA pressure caused landlords to force school operators to vacate their houses, but when these schools were shifted to new premises, they were sealed by the CDA.

No progress on efforts to shift private schools to purpose-built campuses

He said if the CDA wanted to close down all private schools operating in residential areas, it should devise an alternate plan.

“I don’t know where we are at fault. We have over 1,000 students in this school, but the CDA sealed it today and left our students and teachers in a lurch,” the administrator of Asas International, Prof Sadaqat Abbasi, said.

“Earlier, our school had been operating in a rented house on Margalla Road. After a notice was issued to our landlord by the CDA he forced us to vacate that building. Then, in January this year, we [rented] this house, but the CDA sealed it on Thursday after wrongly terming it a new school,” he added.

CDA’s Building Control director Shafi Marwat confirmed that three schools were recently sealed, but claimed that these were ‘new’ institutions.

“Following the Supreme Court’s decision, we have been taking action against the nonconforming use of residential properties. Schools in residential buildings are also a commercial activity, and fall within the category of nonconforming use,” he said.

He conceded that under a government directive, his directorate cannot take action against existing private schools until the government devises a solution in this regard, but added: “We cannot allow the opening of new schools in residential areas.”

Sources in the CDA told Dawn the authority conducted a survey last year, which listed 317 registered and 32 unregistered schools operating in the residential areas of the city. They said the addresses of these schools and their details are also available with the Federal Investigation Agency.

A CDA official, who asked not to be named, argued: “Let’s suppose we allow the opening or shifting of schools to new houses – then we will be taken to task. We will be accused of helping private school operators open new institutions. We are also in a state of confusion.”

He said CDA high-ups and the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) were supposed to come up with a solution to the problem, but they had not bothered with it.

He added that CDA moved a summary to the CADD ministry four months ago suggesting solutions, but there had been no response from the ministry so far.

Some six months ago, when the CDA’s directive that all private schools move out of residential areas led to confusion among private school operators and their students, the interior minister had directed CADD to form a committee to devise a work plan.

A five-member committee, which included the Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmed, Private Educational Institution Regulatory Authority (Piera) Chairman Musaddiq A Khan, Deputy Mayor Riffat Javed, CDA Member (Planning) Waseem Ahmed Khan and CADD Joint Secretary Dr Tariq Mouj, had prepared a work-plan for the relocation of all private schools operating in residential areas.

The committee had recommended that the federal government ask the SC to give schools two years to move to purpose-built buildings, but sources say the CADD ministry is reluctant to implement this plan.

The committee also recommended that the authority offer 120 plots of four-kanals each and the Federal Directorate of Education explore the possibility of acquiring these 120 plots by reducing the size of already-constructed or vacant government educational institutions. These plots could then be auctioned to private schools in five-year instalments.

The committee suggested that the CDA re-plan existing large un-allotted sites designated for educational institutions in the authority’s developed sectors.

A CDA official said: “In light of the recommendations of the five-member committee, we forwarded a summary to CADD in April. The summary is still lying there.”

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2016