RAWALPINDI: Teachers, parents and staff of private schools in the cantonment areas on Thursday staged a protest demonstration against the decision of the cantonment boards to shift educational institutions from residential areas.

Private Educational Institutions Joint Action Committee convener Ibrar Ahmed Khan said four schools were sealed by Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards on Thursday.

However, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) spokesman Qaiser Mehmood said they did not seal any school but had issued red notices to the schools to vacate residential areas by the end of December.

On the other hand, District Education Authority formed teams to collect data about private schools whose managements brought students to participate in their protests.

“We will take action against all schools that brought students to their protest rallies after compiling the data in a day or two,” Mohammad Azam Kashif, the chief executive officer of the authority, told Dawn.

Say four schools sealed after protest; RCB issues notices to owners, denies sealing institutes

He said schools that violated the law by bringing children to any protest rally will have to pay a fine ranging from Rs300,000 to Rs4 million. Besides, the registration of the school concerned would be cancelled. He said the Supreme Court had ordered the cantonment boards to vacate residential areas from educational institutions and the authority would help the civic bodies implement the order.

On Thursday, parents, teachers, school staff and students protested at Chur Chowk on Peshawar Road.

All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association central President Malik Ibrar Hussain, Punjab chapter chief Ilyas Kiani, Rana Suhail, Malik Hafeezur Rehman and others led the protest.

The participants were carrying placards and chanting slogans in favour of their demands.

The protesters said the closure of private educational institutions would affect nearly four million students, leave thousands of teachers unemployed and cause a loss of billions of rupees to the school owners.

They said the protest would be held on a daily basis in front of every school from Friday till the decision was reversed.

All Malik Ibrar said the closure of schools will affect education of children and many of them will remain out of school.

“There are already 25 million children out of school in the country and their number will increase further due to poor policies of the government. Pakistan is currently ranked 125th in the list of most educationally backward countries,” he said.

Malik Ibrar told Dawn that an emergency meeting of the Joint Action Committee was held after sealing of private schools in cantonments across the country.

He said Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment boards started sealing schools which was tantamount to inciting school owners, teachers and students.

“Broomfield School Tahli Mohri, SLS School at Harley Street, EFA School Dheri Hassanabad and Muslim School have been sealed,” he said.

On the one hand, the OIC meeting is going to be held on Monday and on the other the cantonment boards are forcing private educational institutions to block roads by holding protests.

“What impression are we giving to the OIC member countries?” he said.

When contacted, RCB spokesman Qaiser Mehmood told Dawn that the cantonment board did not seal any school or college in its limits.

Despite repeated attempts, Additional Cantonment Executive Officer Chaklala Mohammad Hayat could not be contacted for comments.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2021