Moalims

RAWALPINDI: The district education department on Saturday withdrew its decision to cancel registration of private schools that had not announced summer vacation, claiming that the schools had submitted an undertaking to close schools from Monday.

Executive District Officer Education Qazi Zahoorul Haq told Dawn that notices were issued to 42 private schools for not announcing summer vacation as per the Punjab government’s directives. He said on Saturday, the schools submitted certificates to the department stating they had announced summer vacation from Monday. He said registrations would be cancelled if the department learned that schools remained open on Monday.

“The education department visited many places and found no school open.They reported to the department that the provincial government’s decision was being implemented,” he said.

However, many schools in the city remained open on Saturday.

Private schools in Muslim Town, Satellite Town, Shakrial, Misrial Road, Chur Chowk, Naseerabad and nearby areas were open.

A senior education department official told Dawn that the commissioner and the district coordination officer had received reports from citizens about schools being open, but the education department had reported that the schools were closed.

When asked, Mr Haq admitted that the commissioner received reports that two schools in Satellite Town were open, but when teams went to close them their administrations promised to close from Monday.

However, president of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association Abrar Ahmed Khan admitted that many schools remained open on Saturday. “Schools announced vacation from Monday onward,” he said.

He said the government’s decision had been challenged in Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench and the association hopes to get a stay order.

Mr Haq said summer camps would also not be allowed. Neither government nor private schools would conduct camps in the prevailing law and order situation, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2016