Under threat: ‘Security upgrade needed at schools’

MPAs, civil society, govt representatives discuss security situation at govt schools.

LAHORE:

Participants of a seminar on schools on Thursday demanded more security for educational institutes and students.

A roundtable conference was organised by Alif Ailaan at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Thursday. Politicians, civil society and government representatives got together to discuss the security situation at government schools and their infrastructure.

“How can government schools be secured with CCTV cameras and barbed wire while they do not have boundary walls and electricity?” asked Alif Ailaan’s Lahore coordinator Umair Asif. He said that the Government Public School, Awan Town, had no boundary wall.

“Parliamentarians and the Education Department should play their role in providing funds for such schools,” said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MPA Dr Nausheen Hamid. “In order to improve infrastructure at schools, it is necessary that funds be released and utilised effectively. Boundary walls and CCTV cameras are not sufficient for security at the schools,” she said.

PTI MPA Sadia Rana said that there was a need to bring an end to corruption within government, especially in the education department, in order to improve schools.



South Asia Partnership Executive Director Muhammad Tehseen said that the government should inform people about the steps being taken to deal with the security crisis in the country. “There is a need to define the security of school children along with ways in which the government aims to provide security from extremists and extremism,” he said.

“We are doing our best to make funds for education available on time and we will strive to make efforts to improve this situation as much as we can,” Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Rana Arshad said. “The government plans to empower schools councils, form district security committees and ensure availability of security guards at schools,” he said.

Parliamentarians and teachers’ association representatives assured their support to the government for improving school infrastructure.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2015.