KARACHI, Jan 18: The fate of hundreds of students of a school hangs in the balance following the orders of the Sindh government and the City District Education Department to the effect that the Federal English Government Boys Secondary and Primary School in Firdous Colony must vacate the school building.

The Executive District Officer, Fakhar Karim Siddiqui sent a note to the Sindh Education Secretary Sabhago Khan Jatoi for approval, who sent it back to her on Thursday with instructions that she may take action as per the direction already issued to her by a former secretary education.

Nearly eight years ago the Sindh Education Department had issued a notification to the Federal English Boys Secondary School to transfer its morning shift students over to the Government Boys Secondary School in Firdous Colony and the second shift students to the Bano Government Boys Secondary School also in Firdous Colony.

Well-placed sources in the Education Department said that the place where the school building is located has become prime land and the builders have been eyeing this valuable location for several years. The orders to vacate the building, on the initiation of its owner were first issued on Oct 10, 1998, and the District Education Officer concerned was directed to take necessary action on it immediately within 30 days. However, the DEO was unable to carry out the eviction order and on July 23, 1999, he informed the concerned authorities that he had tried to get the school building vacated but was unsuccessful because of stiff resistance put up by the school’s management and staff. The school’s resistance resulted in getting the order suspended and the Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools subsequently issued an office order on August 19, 1999 according to which he had stated that the orders issued on Nov 11, 1998, should be held in abeyance.

The move to vacate the building was again initiated in 2003, but the school authorities managed to stop it again and the building was not vacated. The defunct owner of the school building again moved an application to the District Coordination Officer of the City Government sometime later, requesting to shift the students from the building and asking for the possession of the building.

Following the latest application from the building’s owner, the Sindh Education Department is taking a keen interest in the case and has issued two letters – on August 9, 2006 and on September 22, 2006 – directing the concerned authorities to get the building vacated and hand over vacant possession to the owner. Subsequently, the file regarding the shifting of the students to other school buildings moved swiftly and the orders to vacate the building were issued in nine days from January 9 to January 18 this year.

The latest reports are, the city government’s present EDO Education has sought approval from the Sindh Secretary Education asking necessary action be taken on the directives issued by a former Education Secretary.

Sources said the nationalised schools were given to community-based organizations in the private sector under a government’s policy. These community based organisations were bound to run these schools effectively and to bring improvement in the education standard of those schools. No school building was ever vacated. One wonders why the city education department is so keen.