Our Staff Reporter
BAHAWALNAGAR

Educational institutions reopened after the tragic incident of Army Public School Peshawar amid poor security arrangements here on Monday.
After the ‘Peshawar incident, the government closed the educational institution to improve security arrangements. However, the situation could not be declared satisfactory as 300 schools across the district have been found without boundary wall.
EDO Education Dr Javed Chishti admitted that the Education Department had demanded additional funds for the construction of boundary walls of the aforesaid schools. He said that there were 2,278 government schools in the district, out of which 202 were high schools. The education department categorized the schools with their enrolment .Those schools having enrolment more than 500 students fall in ‘A’ category.  The EDO said that education department had constructed walls of 90 schools of ‘A’ category, while a grant of Rs50,000 had been provided to 76 schools each for the installation of CCTV cameras. While some of the school have installed CCTV camera from their own funds,” the EDO concluded.
As far as security arrangements of the private schools are concerned, the government agencies shifted all the responsibility to the schools’ owner. There are 472 private schools across the district and the education department has directed the private school owners to hire trained security guards or some retire army personnel, having licensed arm and metal detector. The school boundary walls should be six feet high with additional two feet high bar row. However, Private School Association President Khalid Goraya expressed concern over indifference of the law enforcement agencies with regard to the security of private schools. He said that being committed taxpayers, the government should take responsibility of the security of private schools.
Meanwhile, Bahawalnagar Saddr Police DSP Khawar Zaman Lodhi said that a quick response force was being launched while squads of elite force would patrol areas where schools were situated twice a day.

Additional force for vulnerable schools

Multan (staff reporter):  District Coordination Officer (DCO) Zahid Saleem Gondal declared on Monday that additional police force will be deployed at educational institutions declared high-risk by the security agencies.
Addressing a meeting held here to review security arrangements of educational institutions here on Monday, he added that funds were given to the school councils besides making them fully empowered for making fool-proof security arrangements. He said that the decision to open schools was made after the provincial government had finalized security arrangements. He said that the schools declared high risk in agencies’ reports had been placed in A category and additional police force was deployed there.
Referring to law and order situation in Multan district, he said that the situation was satisfactory in the town and the parents did not need to worry about the security of their kids. He assured the parents that all out measures would be adopted to protect the children. He said that the work to raise boundary walls of some schools and colleges was underway and it would be completed in few days. He declared that the monitoring of schools and colleges would continue for security purpose. He asked the students and teachers to keep eye on suspicious persons and inform administration forthwith if they locate any suspicious person or activity.
Meanwhile chairing another meeting to review work on Multan Tea House project, the DCO said that the project was in final stages and Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif would inaugurate it by the end of ongoing month. He said that the contractor is directed to complete installation of furniture in the building till January 20. The DCO added that the Multan Tea House would prove a great source to highlight the cultural importance of ancient Multan. He said that the Tea House would help boost literary activities in Multan. He said that a vast circle of poets, authors and journalists existed in Multan, who gave him valuable suggestions for this project.