RAWALPINDI: The district administration has formed teams in all tehsils to inspect public and private schools across the district to prevent any untoward incident similar to those reported in Peshawar and Lahore.
The teams will compile their reports by Tuesday.
The All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) has urged the deputy commissioner of Rawalpindi to revise the schedule for inspections of private educational institutions, requesting sufficient time to prepare for the audits, complete the necessary documentation and review security arrangements.
District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Yaseen Khan Baloch told Dawn that the district administration had formed teams in every tehsil to inspect public and private schools and assess whether they had adopted fire-safety measures and whether their buildings were safe.
Inspection teams to submit reports by Oct 20; private schools’ association seeks more time to prepare for security checks
He said the teams began inspections on Sunday to cover all 7,000 private schools and 1,300 public-sector schools in the district. The survey would be completed by October 20, with inspections being conducted daily from 8am to 8pm.
He said the teams had been tasked with inspecting school buildings, assessing their structural stability, identifying dangerous buildings and reviewing fire-safety measures, emergency preparedness and security arrangements.
He added that assistant commissioners of City, Cantonment, Saddar, Kallar Syedan, Kahuta, Taxila and Gujar Khan were supervising the audit of buildings and fire-safety measures, while the District Education Authority was providing data and other assistance to the teams.
Meanwhile, APPSMA Central Senior Vice President Muhammad Furqan Chaudhry, North Punjab President Abrar Ahmed Khan and other association representatives expressed concern over a notification issued by the Rawalpindi district administration.
The notification mandates an audit of security measures at public and private educational institutions. The association has urged the deputy commissioner to revise the inspection schedule and allow institutions sufficient time to prepare for the audits, complete documentation and review their security arrangements.
The association’s leaders emphasised that the safety and well-being of students remained the top priority for private educational institutions and that strengthening school security was a shared national responsibility.
While APPSMA supports the objective of the security audit, it maintains that the process should be transparent, organised, practical and aligned with ground realities, ensuring that educational institutions have adequate time to make the necessary arrangements.
The association further noted that conducting audits at short notice or without prior warning could create significant administrative challenges for educational institutions. Certain safety measures, including technical inspections, consultations with relevant experts, procurement of necessary equipment and structural modifications to buildings, require considerable time.
It said an adequate timeframe was therefore essential to ensure that all institutions had an equal opportunity to prepare.
The association’s leaders also noted that, under the notification, teams comprising representatives of various departments, including the District Education Authority, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence and relevant local government bodies, had been formed.
For these joint departmental inspections to be effective, educational institutions must be informed in advance about audit standards, required safety measures, documentation requirements and inspection procedures.
Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2026
