KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed a federal law officer to ensure that a meeting of stakeholders was convened within a couple of weeks to discuss proposals for implementation of compulsory education of children.

The lawyers for the petitioners have submitted proposals to properly enforce compulsory education and bring out-of-school children to schools.

When a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar took up a set of petitions mainly seeking implementation of the Sindh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2013 for hearing, assistant attorney general Hussain Bohra requested for time to seek instructions from the quarters concerned on the counter-proposals of the counsel for petitioners.

The AAG further submitted that he would convene a meeting in his office which would be attended by lawyers for petitioners and relevant officers from the departments concerned to discuss the scheme/proposals for implementation in future, which would cover all issues raised in the petition.

The bench directed the AAG that the meeting of stakeholders should be convened within two weeks.

In the last hearing, the lawyers for petitioners Najeeb Jamali, Nadeem Shaikh and Amna Usman had submitted proposals for implementation of law in letter and spirit.

Earlier, the provincial education authorities had submitted that 6,866 schools were closed for lack of teachers across the province and the same would be reopened through new recruitment of teaching staff within four months.

They further contended that 7,974 government schools were found not viable in the province after the proposed viability assessment of low or no enrolment and added that the Sindh cabinet had approved the online transfer and posting policy for teaching staff.

Groom, others released

A local court on Wednesday discharged a groom and others of the charge of holding a wedding ceremony in alleged violation of Covid-19 restrictions and standard operating procedures (SOPs).

While setting the detained persons free under Section 63 (discharge of person apprehended) of the criminal procedure code, a judicial magistrate (West) observed that police had no authority to register such cases on its own complaint as the district administration was empowered to become complainant in the cases lodged under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The police arrested a groom, his relatives and some guests in Orangi Town on May 25 for conducting a marriage gathering in contravention of SOPs and the newly-imposed restrictions and an investigating officer produced them before the court for remand on Wednesday.

They were booked under Sections 188 and 34 (common intention) of the PPC.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2021