TAXILA: The construction work worth Rs49.40 million on Government Girls School in the middle of the city has not been completed despite the passage of five years.

The construction work on the school comprising 12 classrooms on 14 kanals was started in November 2021, during the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

The plan to build the high school and its phase-wise upgradation to higher secondary level was initiated on the encroached land.

The existingtwo government schools in the city are unable to meet the growing number of the students. When the government launches an enrollment campaign, the administrations of these two schools decline admissions as their classes are crowded with 150 students each.

The residentsof the area were of the view that the ruling PML-N claims to be committed to furthering the cause of education but ironically it has failed to release necessary funds for the school’s timely completion causing academic loss to hundreds of the female students.

They said if the school was completed as per schedule, it would be the second academic session in the institute and it would move towards further expansion to higher secondary level.

Sources in the education department informed this reporter that the construction work in several schools in tehsil Taxila had been left incomplete due to the lack of funds.

These projects include upgradation of government high school Gari Afghanan, government school Wah village, government girls primary school Ban Bhola and construction of additional classrooms at Taleemul Quran high school Taxila.

Sources said the current government has also not released funds timely for these schools, delaying their completion. “We have raised the delay of the construction of the school with senior officials in the education department and the provincial authorities but they cited political reasons behind the issue of necessary funds,” said former city Nazim Malik Mohammad Pervaiz who played a key role in the establishment of the school. He said thatover 14 kanals was under illegal occupation as cattle sheds were constructed there and it was a “Herculean task” to retrieve this land. He attributed the delay in the construction work to “political reasons”.

When contacted, deputy district officer educationMohammadAsif has said that the Punjab education department had released Rs5,3869,000 to the district building department for completion of the project in November 2024.

While commenting over the issue, Malik Waseem Shahzad, the special assistant toMinister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik who looks after political and administrative issues of the city, rejected the notion that the PM-L government had not released the requisite funds due to political reasons.

He said Rs7.80 million had been released by the government during the current fiscal year and other necessary funds would be issued during the next fiscal year.

He said classes in the school were expected to commence during the next academic session with provision of all necessary facilities like furniture and other facilities.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2025