CHITRAL: The GD Langlands School and College was closed down for indefinite period on Wednesday when its British Principal Carrey Schofield issued a proclamation to the effect citing the protest of the teaching and non-teaching staff, who are demanding her immediate removal.

The parents complained that the principal conveyed the decision of the school’s closure only through facebook page late in the night.

Abdul Wali Khan, a lawyer, said that many parents hired cabs to drop their children in the school or used their personal vehicles when the school bus did not turn up. He complained that this situation created a panic among the parents who assembled in junior section of the school situated in Jang Bazaar near DC office.

The protesting teachers, parents and representatives of civil society held a meeting with Lower Chitral DC Naveed Ahmed in his office in which it was decided that till the final decision about future of the school by the concerned forum, the school would be reopened from Thursday (today).

Signed by the teachers and parents, it was pledged in the agreement that the teachers would not hold any protest and carry on teaching activity as usual.

However, in the evening, DC Ahmed told this scribe that the principal did not accede to the agreement and decided to stick to her earlier decision of keeping the school closed till she took direction from the board of governors.

Earlier, the association of teaching and non-teaching staff of the school, with a strength of over 100, had given the deadline of October 9 to remove the lady principal from her position failing which they would start a protest.

The principal is not at the station while the only local member of BoG of the school, Shahzada Sirajul Mulk, told this correspondent that the school would be reopened in a couple of days when the principal returned from Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2019