MUZAFFARGARH, Jan 19: Parents of scores of boarders on Saturday registered a vociferous protest against refusal of a boarding school owner to allow children to spend two holidays (Muharram 9 and 10) with families.

A similar situation was witnessed at another boarding school where parents argued with the administration to let the girls proceed on a two-day visit to homes.

Adeel Mukhtar, the owner of the Abdalian Higher Secondary School, refused to give holidays to children for the Youm-i-Ashur when their parents, some of them from far-off places, reached there to get their children. Around 700 students from different districts seek education at the institution.

On refusal, many people blocked the main Alipur-Muzaffargarh Road and quoted the school owner as warning that “if any student goes with his parents, he will find his name struck off”. They said they went to EDO (Education) Sultan Bhagaila who vowed to look into the matter.

In response to the protest, DCO Dr Akhtar Nazir Warraich ordered the school owner to allow the students to go with their parents.

The Dawn Public School, a girls boarding school at Sinawan, also denied the students holidays.

There are one dozen private boarding schools in the district which accommodated around 16,000 students. Besides Youm-i-Ashur holidays, these boarding schools allow just seven-day summer vacation and no winter vacation. At the end of the month, they let children leave for houses for three days. On their return, they first receive fee and then allow a child to sit in the class. They impose hefty fines on the children on flimsy excuses.

SECURITY: District Police Officer Maqsoodul Hassan said on Saturday 77 places in the district had been declared sensitive because of a history of clashes over there.