New SOP for school registration in Islamabad

Under new 110-point SOP, govt toughens conditions for registration of private schools

RAWALPINDI: The government has toughened conditions for private schools to register in the province under a new, 110-point Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Schools have been divided into three categories, A, B and C. These schools will be required to have varying levels of security infrastructure. All schools will be required to have closed-circuit television CCTV cameras, lightning safety devices, earthquake-proof structures, emergency exits, certificates from civil engineers, fire extinguishing equipment, safety signboards, staff and student identification cards, emergency sirens, megaphones, assembly areas, no-smoking zones, prominent display of key emergency phone numbers, first aid box, armed security guards as well as a register to keep a record of visitors. At the high-end, A-plus multi-story school buildings will be required to have a helipad on the roof, CCTV cameras, walkthrough gates, metal detectors, watch towers, searchlights, mirrors, zigzag and up-down barriers, surrounding walls which are at least seven feet tall two feet wide with barbed wires. Moreover, civil defence training has also been made mandatory.  

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2019.