Call for more community schools in province

Leader of Opposition Malik Sikander wants out-of-school children enrolled

The Balochistan Assembly has adopted a resolution demanding establishment of more community-based schools in the province and regularisation of the services of teachers as well as the employees of Balochistan Development Authority (BDA).

The resolution was moved by Leader of Opposition Advocate Malik Sikander during the assembly session on Saturday.
Speaking on the resolution, the opposition leader stressed the need for more schools as millions of students were out of school in the province.

“In order to improve the education sector, the provincial government had established many community schools across the province where 40,000 students were enrolled,” said Sikander.

In such schools, he said “around 786 teachers have been fulfilling their responsibilities on contract basis for a long time”.

Community schools: Unpaid for seven months, teachers demand salaries

Moreover, the house discussed the contradictory statements by the provincial government and representatives of Doctors Action Committee (DAC) after the recovery of abducted neurosurgeon Dr Khalil last week.

Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Sanaullah Baloch said “The doctors’ community had claimed that ransom money of Rs50 million had been paid to the kidnappers for the recovery of Dr Khalil”. However, the government is silent over the issue, he lamented.

He added that the doctors were protesting for security because they remained prime victims of kidnapping in Balochistan.

Sanaullah said the recent doctors’ strike had badly affected the medical services at the provincial hospitals. And the patients from remote areas of the province have suffered the most, he added.

The BNP-M leader said that even after spending Rs42 billion on improving law and order situation in the province, the government were not able to protect the life and property of the people.

On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Mubeen Khilji said that doctors missed no opportunity for observing the strike. But, he added, they continued their service in private clinics.
Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asghar Khan Achakzai stressed the need for joint efforts for curbing kidnapping in Balochistan. In last five years, he added a number of people had migrated from Chaman to other parts of the country due to the rising number of kidnapping cases in the province.

Achakzai said that the kidnapping of veteran tribal leader Arbab Zahir Kasi during the previous government’s tenure raised many questions on the law and order situation of the province.

“Despite spending billions on law and order our children are insecure… the government should take in-house briefing over law and order,” Achakzai demanded.

To this, Speaker Quddus Bizenjo said the treasury and opposition should play joint role for restoring peace in Balochistan. He said: “Security forces should take preventive measures to overcome kidnapping incidents”.