Back to school: City administration asked to get educational institutes vacated from ‘occupiers’

Letter sent to chief commissioner, interior ministry to get schools vacated from security officials

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Administration and Development Division on Thursday wrote a letter to the chief commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory and the Ministry of Interior to get all the schools and colleges vacated from security officials.

Currently, about 59 schools and colleges are being occupied by police personnel of the capital, Punjab and Azad Jammu Kashmir to guard the city amid the sit-ins and long marches. Initially there were about 32 educational institutes but on August 18, ICT Administration officially demanded another 27 institutes to house an additional 10,000 security personnel.

CADD Additional Secretary Qaiser Majeed issued the letter to the chief commissioner and additional secretary of the interior ministry. According to the letter, the official asked them to vacate federal schools and colleges from the police and district management personnel as soon as possible so classes could commence from September 1.

After the summer vacations, schools and colleges were supposed to open on August 11 but upon the request of the district government and interior ministry, the opening dates were extended thrice.

“Now the parents and students are worried about their studies so some institutions may be vacated to continue academic activities,” the letter read.

Besides, damages were also reported at several colleges where the officials are temporarily residing. CADD had also written a letter earlier to the relevant authorities asking that compensation be paid in case of any physical damages.

Islamabad Model College for Boys Sector F-10/4 Principal Ali Yar said the decision was a welcome one as frustration among parents and teachers was growing after the three-week extension of vacations.

“Admissions are continuing at the college and the presence of security officials has created a hurdle for parents to come while the already enrolled students seek information about opening of the college,” Yar added.  He commented that every day piles of garbage are removed from the building that is left by the current occupants.

Federal Government Teachers Association President Sagheer Mirani said the government should settle police and security officials at Police Lines or police training college in Sihala or any other place other than educational institutions. He also added that there should be some alternative for residences of security staff as it has now become a norm to take political marches to the capital.

He added the damages are also being reported at several colleges but they cannot do anything as it happened before as well and was left uncompensated.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2014.