Peshawar schools closure after massive blast

Several Peshawar schools shut down after suicide blast
Peshawar, Nov 14: The massive Khyber Road bombing that targeted the offices of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Friday led to closure of most of the educational institutions in the provincial metropolis, some for security reasons and others due to blockade of roads by the security forces.

No educational activity on the Warsak Road that houses most of the educational institutions could take place, as movement into and out of the area had been prohibited. The security forces had cordoned off the entire area and no vehicle or even pedestrian was allowed to pass through it.

Saint Mary's School situated right on the corner of both Khyber Road and Warsak Road was partially damaged in the huge explosion and was shut till November 23 for repair. The Peshawar Model, Peshawar Public, Frontier Model, Warsak Model, City School, Iqra Rozatul Atfal and dozens of other institutions remained closed on Friday.

The examinations were in progress but the papers postponed. In other areas of the provincial metropolis like University Town, Hayatabad, Peshawar Cantt and city, some schools on Charsadda Road were closed down for security reasons. The rising terrorist activities have affected the educational sector in the province. Most of the educational institutions - private and public sector - remain closed during the past one-month. Examinations at most of the educational institutions have been deferred.

It was only a few days back that educational activities in the provincial metropolis resumed but the Friday bombing again shut the institutions, at least for a day. The closure of the schools started from October 16, when the leading educational institutions were shut for an indefinite period.

These were followed by some autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions like the army-run schools, the constituent institutions of the University of Peshawar and a few other private schools like Peshawar Model and Frontier Model, etc. Then the government announced closure of all the educational institutions for a week in the wake of the suicide blast at the International Islamic University and recovery of two bombs at a girls school in the provincial metropolis.

The universities reopened on October 28 and the schools on November 2. But the elite schools refused to follow the government's instructions to reopen institutions from November 2. The senior sections of these schools were reopened on November 9 and the junior sections on November 12. The routine educational activities will resume from today (Saturday) as no announcement about the closure of schools has been made by either the government or school managements. The news

Post your comments

Balochistan University needs funds to improve security
Quetta: The Balochistan University requires funds to improve its existing security plan in the wake of mounting threats faced by the country's educational institutions.

University officials said, "Ours is perhaps the only university in the world where trains move regularly on the campus, making it impossible for the university administration to establish a wall around the railway track to minimise the risk of terrorist attacks." "We need additional funds, millions of rupees to upgrade the security of the university," said another official.

A senior official, requesting anonymity, said the university administration had prepared a new security plan in the wake of twin suicide blasts at Islamabad's International Islamic University. "The government is trying to convert the university into a garrison under the pretext of restoring peace. We do not face any threat from outside.

Frontier Corps are our major concern as they have rounded up many students in the past. They also beat up a professor," Hamal Baloch, a Baloch Students Organisation leader, said. Under the new security plan, the parking lot has been shifted outside the campus and no one is allowed to park his or her car inside the university. All faculty and students are required to display their identity cards.

"We have installed several CCTV cameras and raised the boundary wall and barbed wire has been fixed on it," a university official said. However, there is still room for improvement, for which we need funds." Daily times

Post your comments

ICU teachers demand recovery of KUST VC
Peshawar: Condemning kidnapping of Kohat University of Science and Technology's (KUST) vice-chancellor Prof Dr Lutfullah Kakakhel, the teachers of Islamia College University (ICU) Friday urged the government to ensure early recovery of the academician.

The demand was made at a meeting of the Islamia College University Teachers Association, presided by its president Izhar Ahmad.The participants of the meeting expressed concern over the kidnapping. They said the government should leave no stone unturned to ensure safe and early recovery of the academician.

The participants asked the university administration to regularise the services of all the ad hoc and contract employees. They sought benefits for the employees on the pattern of those being given to their counterparts in the University of Peshawar.

The meeting took strong exception to the attitude of director works of the university and stressed that the director who had allegedly been appointed in violation of rules should be replaced with a suitable official. The teachers were also concerned about the high rate of fees and other charges at the university and said the fees should be fixed keeping in views those charged by the University of Peshawar.

They demanded immediate end to the National Testing Service in the university both for appointment as well as recruitment in the university. The issue of option to the employees of the university also came under discussion. The participants said the teachers and other employees had not been given genuine rights as per the university act to join the University of Peshawar or stay in the Islamia College University.

They said the employees should be given this right at the earliest. The association members also sought proper representation in all the statutory and other bodies of the university. The news

Post your comments