TAXILA: The lives and safety of more than 80 children, most of them girls, enrolled at Government Boys Primary School on the outskirts of Taxila are said to be at risk due to excessive excavation around the school by a private housing society, cutting off safe access to the campus and raising fears of a serious accident.

A visit by this correspondent to the school in Dhoke Syedo found deep ditches dug around the government school, leaving only narrow and unsafe pathways for young pupils to enter and leave the premises.

The situation has alarmed parents and local residents, who fear that even a minor slip could result in a fatal accident, particularly during the ongoing monsoon season.

The school caters to children from Dhoke Syedo and surrounding villages, most of whom belong to low-income families.

Their parents are mainly daily wage labourers, construction workers and small farmers who cannot afford private education. Residents said there is no private school in the locality, making the government school the only educational institution available to hundreds of children.

Parents alleged that the excavation was carried out by a nearby private housing society when the school was closed for summer vacation, as no official visit by education authorities was expected. They claimed the society intended to expand its boundaries and lay claim to adjoining land, leaving the school virtually surrounded by hazardous trenches.

It was also observed that the administration had apparently remained a silent spectator despite the hazardous excavation around the campus. Local residents alleged that the matter had not been formally reported to higher authorities, raising questions about why immediate action had not been sought despite the obvious safety concerns.

Several parents said the danger would multiply during heavy rains, when water is expected to accumulate in and around the trenches, turning the school entrance into a muddy, waterlogged passage.

“How will six- and seven-year-old children cross muddy tracks and rainwater to reach their classrooms? There is a genuine risk of children slipping into the trenches or drowning if water collects there,” said Fatima Bibi, the mother of two students.

“Now, especially during rain, we send our children to school with fear in our hearts. These are primary school students who cannot even judge the danger around them. One wrong step could cost a child’s life,” said Muhammad Ashraf, a parent whose son studies at the school.

Another aggrieved parent, Farooq Ahmed, questioned why an educational institution had been left isolated by the excavation work.

“If this had happened around any private school, authorities would have acted immediately. Why are poor children’s lives considered less important?” he asked.

Students themselves also expressed fear while entering the school.

“Now we are afraid to even think of walking to school because the path is narrow and slippery. When it rains, it becomes even more dangerous,” said Class-II student Usama Mehmood.

The excavation has also disrupted access for teachers and residents, who said the school could become virtually inaccessible if the monsoon rains continue. Civil society representatives said the issue extended beyond inconvenience and had become a matter of child safety.

When contacted, Assistant Education Officer Dr Usman Younas said the trenches had been dug by a private housing society during the summer vacation. He said the school had remained closed for the last three months, no official had visited it, and there was no watchman on the premises.

Rawalpindi District Chief Executive Education Authority Muhammad Yaseen Khan, while commenting on the issue, told Dawn that after the matter came into the spotlight through the media, it was taken up with the housing society, which assured the authorities that the school would be provided 25-foot-wide access.

Responding to a question, he said the housing society had carried out the trenching on its own land and that the law could not stop anyone from carrying out work on their own premises.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2026