Govt schools turned into guest houses

Several institutions in Lodhran not made functional despite substantial expenses

LODHRAN:

Some influential people have allegedly occupied many government schools and turned them into guesthouses, buffalo sheds and warehouses.

Khuda Bakhsh, a social worker, said that the education department’s lack of interest in the schools built from the taxpayers’ money was very unfortunate.

Central Traders Association president Rao Ahsan-ul-Haq alleged that South Punjab’s education secretary was not paying attention to educational problems in the region.

On the other hand, a school in Lodhran city has been housed in a dilapidated rented building since 1966. More than R10 million is being paid as its rent.

Sources said that SNEs of Government Boys Primary School Jhuk Rita, Government Girls Primary School Jhuk Rita, Government Primary School Haleemwala in different areas of Lodhran could not be released till today while SNE of Government Primary School Basti Darasti Wala, Government Girls Primary School Nawab Wala, Government Girls Primary School Telianwala, Government Girls Primary School Parvia have been received but they have not been made functional.

Read ‘Action against schools not teaching national curriculum’

Three months ago, district judges were told by the High Court to check the study of Holy Quran Nazra in schools.

When the team reached Basti Rahuja, instead of the children studying, family of a local influential landlord was found living there, and their chickens and pigeons were roaming in the yard.

It was further revealed that a solar energy system worth millions of rupees was also installed in the room by the government on which the judge expressed his regret and wrote a report saying that instead of educating the children, a family lived there.

It is matter of deep anguish that the report had been filed three months ago, and yet neither the education department nor the education secretary nor the local administration did seem to care about it.

A former Nazim of the Union Council Dera Jund Pervez Khan Baloch demanded of the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister to make these closed schools functional immediately.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Shoaib Ali said a report had been sought from the chief executive officer of the district education authority about occupation of school buildings. He said the Lodhran assistant commissioner had also been instructed to pint out such buildings.

The official said no one would be allowed to misuse government school buildings, while officials found negligent in this regard would face action.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2022.