PESHAWAR: Amid fear and hope, government and private educational institutions will reopen today (Monday) after remaining closed for two weeks in the backdrop of recent wave of terror incidents in the country.
All institutions were closed across the country on October 20 for a week after two suicide attacks at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. Unlike other provinces where educational institutions were reopened after a week, the NWFP government extended the closure of schools, colleges and universities for another week due to the security situation.
Nevertheless, on Saturday last the NWFP government announced reopening of all educational institutions across the province from Monday. The provincial government took the decision of reopening the institutions in the light of reports of a committee, headed by NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, with Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Sardar Hussain Babak, Qazi Saeed and Additional Chief Secretary Fiaz Turu as its members.
The committee, after consulting parents of students and teachers as well as getting input from commissioners of all the districts, decided to reopen the institutions, the government claims. However, the committee authorised the heads of the institutions to take any decision on shutting the institutes keeping in view the security situation in their areas.
Meanwhile, the decision about reopening of schools drew a mixed reaction from parents of the students and owners of schools. Private Education Institutions Management Association (PEIMA) President Khwaja Yawar Naseer appreciated the government decision, saying it would allay the fears of the people.
He said parents of the students were contacting them and urging to reopen the schools. He said parents believed that closure of the educational institutions had added to the scare of the masses.
He said schools and colleges affiliated with federal education board as well as education institutions of Pakistan Army and universities of the province had been reopened and there was no need to keep other government and private intuitions closed anymore.
The educationalist said they had issued a circular to all private schools to take precautionary measures, adding that the school gates would be locked soon after the school opening time in the morning and no one would be allowed to enter the schools.
The parents would be stopped at the gate and allowed to go to the administration office only after complete verification. He said women guards would also be deputed at the gates of schools to frisk women visitors. The morning assembly will not be conducted in the open area.
He said sand bags would be placed with the inner side of the schools’ main wall besides enhancing security at night.The provincial education department also issued standard operating procedure (SOP) to all educational institutions for ensuring safety of the students.
Asif Ghaffar, a businessman whose three children study at a private school on Warsak Road, said closing the institutions for fear of any sabotage activity was not a solution to such terror threats.
He said the closure of schools was negatively affecting the studies, adding that in a country where the army headquarters were not secure how could one expect from a civilian government to provide protection to its schools and colleges.
“Only Allah can save us from any harm, this is what we believe in,” he said. “Terrorists want to paralyse the entire system of the country but we have to fight them,” he added.A perturbed father, Hamid Iqbal, while criticising the government decision of reopening the schools, said that if the spy agencies had reports that the terrorists might strike educational institutions, then there was no need of reopening the schools.
“The lives of the innocent children are more important than their studies,” he said, adding that if the government could not protect citizens, it had no right to rule.
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