RAWALPINDI: Seventy-four public and private schools in the garrison city face being closed by the City District Government of Rawalpindi (CDGR) if they don’t improve their security within two weeks.

A meeting was held on Monday by District Coordination Officer Talat Mehmood Gondal with the education department to review the security arrangements of the educational institutions.

Among the 74 schools facing the threat of closure are four federal government-run and several private schools located in Saddar, Gawalmandi, on Adiala Road and near Adiala Jail – areas categorised as ‘very sensitive’ and ‘sensitive’.

Executive District Officer Education Qazi Zahoorul Haq said that notices had been issued to the 74 educational institutes. “Twenty-nine of them are in ‘very sensitive’ and 45 in ‘sensitive’ category,” he said.

More than 1,800 schools run by the Punjab government have adopted the security measures notified by the provincial government.

A senior CDGR officer told Dawn that “the federal government-run schools failed to adopt the proper security measures” that the authorities had notified following the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar two years ago.

“Schools in Taxila, Wah, Murree and Rawalpindi tehsils in the district were declared very sensitive and sensitive and needed proper security, including installation of CCTV cameras, barbed wire fence and deployment of private security,” the officer said.

According to the officer, the threatened action of closure against the school administrations still found lax was decided under the Punjab Security of Vulnerable Establishment Ordinance 2015.

Committees formed by the Punjab government at the tehsil and district levels to monitor the work of security arrangements at the educational institutions had recommended the action.

Mostly private sector schools in cantonment and city areas have been repeatedly asked to improve security.

“Some private schools at Peshawar Road had been asked by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board to get vacant plots for their car parking needs but they didn’t listen. That creates traffic chaos outside these schools at their opening and closing times as vehicles transporting schoolchildren block the main road,” he said.

Questioned about the funds required for enhancing security, EDO Qazi Zahoorul Haq said headmaster and headmistress of each Punjab government-run school had received Rs1 million from non-salary budget “to improve the security arrangements and other day to day affairs”.

As for the private and the federal government-run schools, he said, “It is the duty of their administrations. They should carry out the (enhanced security) work from their own funds.”

But the president of the All Pakistan Private School and Colleges Owners Association, Malik Abrar, argued that it was the duty of the state to provide security to all residents. Still, he urged the private sector to make “all the security arrangements” as asked.

Although the private schools were trying “their level best” to improve security of their premises, Malik Abrar expected the government “to control the prices of security equipment in the market which have increased many folds”.

“Price of CCTV camera system increased from Rs2200 to Rs6,000 per unit, that of barbed wire from Rs80 per kg to Rs400 per kg and so have the price of arms and rates of security agencies that provide private guards,” he said.

There are more than 5,000 private schools in the Rawalpindi city district. “If some schools failed to adopt the security measures, it is the duty of the government to help them, especially in low-income residential areas,” he said.

“They (private schools) are more in numbers and provide better quality education. Being the main stakeholder, private schools should be consulted in meetings where such (closure) decisions are considered,” said Mr Abrar.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2016