Unequal measures: Government fails to protect its own schools

FIRs being filed against private institutes while public schools lack arrangements.

PESHAWAR:

Private school administrations failing to comply with the government’s security guidelines are having FIRs registered against them, but authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to the safety of their own institutes.

Following the brutal Army Public School (APS) massacre, security across the province, particularly Peshawar district, became a major concern. Although funds were provided for government schools to raise boundary walls and meet other security requirements, question marks remained over their arrangements as compared to private institutes.



The principal of a government school told The Express Tribune police pay several surprise visits to private schools, but none to institutes like his. “There is just a chowkidar on alert.”

Making a judgment call

“We cannot install CCTV cameras and barbed wires as there is a shortage of funds,” he said. “However, I sincerely believe there is no threat to government or private schools. I think the terrorists will target army schools,” he asserted.

A police official said his force was cognizant of government schools’ financial constraints. He added that was the reason law enforcers maintained a more relaxed attitude towards them when registering FIRs under the K-P Security of Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishments and Places Act 2015.

“Private schools charge the extra cost from parents so neglecting security arrangements on their part
is unacceptable,” he said.

Threat assessment

“There is no particular reason to believe only private sector institutes are susceptible to an attack like the one on APS,” said Suliman, a resident of Bhanamari. He added authorities stressed on fool-proof security at private schools while ignoring the safety of government sector institutes.

The government already approved security guards and other measures for public sector schools, but none of these plans have seen the light of day.

“We have demanded Rs540 million to hire security guards for government schools with each one’s salary being Rs5,000 per month,” said an official of the education department, adding the request was yet to be entertained.

Thousands of schools in Peshawar

According to statistics, there are 1,064 government primary schools in Peshawar district alone. In addition, 152 middle schools and 129 high schools provide education in various areas of the district apart from secondary schools and colleges.

Police said 2,027 educational institutes were registered with the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar excluding vocational and technical training institutes and organisations registered with the federal government.

According to the education department, there are 1,046 private schools in Peshawar. Of the total, 247 are primary, 388 middle and 344 are high schools in addition to 67 higher secondary institutes.

The entire nation went into a state of mourning after terrorists scaled the walls of the APS in Peshawar and mercilessly gunned down students and teachers. Over 150 people, mostly children, died in the brutal assault.

Authorities and the military vowed to hit back hard. The government removed a six-year moratorium on the death penalty of terror convicts while it was also decided to set up military courts to expedite proceedings in terrorism cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2015.