Lack of security arrangements at Elite schools colleges

Elite educational institutions still closed
Lahore, Oct 28: The elite schools and colleges in private sector are still closed due to lack of adequate security arrangements which is, however, fast improving. At the same time the government has intensified its vigilance to ensure whether the schools and colleges administrations have fulfilled the security arrangements - erection of eight feet boundary walls, posting of security guards, closure of rear gates, installation of CCTVs, walk-through gates and metal detectors, wearing of uniform by students and display of ID cards.

Accordingly FC College University and elite schools including Beaconhouse, Lahore Grammar School, Essena Foundation and Ibne Sina were not allowed to re-open. A number of autonomous and government schools were also closed by the raiding teams. The FC College University at FFC Gulberg will re-open on Thursday as the construction work of check-posts at rear gate of the university is in progress. The varsity's front gate at FFC lane has been closed while the rare gates facing the canal is open for entry. The varsity has also posted as many as 60 security guards in uniform besides establishing a police check post and security front office.

Other educational institutions will re-open on Monday next. The Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) has started erecting boundary wall to the height of eight feet besides taking extra-ordinary security measures at the gate. The Kinnaird College has also built eight-feet high boundary wall by removing its fences while it has erected bunkers with armed security personnel at the gate. The security arrangements at Islamia College for Girls Cooper Road, Queen Mary College and APWA College are also not satisfactory and the raiding teams are exhorting the colleges' principals to make immediate foolproof security arrangements. The government has reiterated its stand not to allow the educational institutions to reopen without the required security arrangements nor to increase tuition fee or levy security funds on the students. A four-member committee has also been constituted to conduct raids on the educational institutions to check the security arrangements.

Meanwhile rumors continued to pour in the City on Tuesday just to harass the citizens and create panic. However, the attendance in schools, colleges and universities improved on the second day after reopening of the institutions.As the private institutions are held responsible for their own security, the government has not yet initiated any measure to ensure security at government schools having no boundary wall and security guards.

This could have been done under PRSP programme to provide missing facilities in the schools and colleges. A package of CCTV, security guards, walk-through gates and metal detectors cost at least Rs 1.50 lakh which the primary or high school in government sector cannot afford from their own resources. As the demand for these equipments is rising, the businessmen and shopkeepers have increased the prices of these equipments three times clandestinely in the market. The nation

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Schools and colleges in residential areas pose major threat
Lahore: Numerous schools and colleges illegally established in houses of the city's upscale localities, including the Model Town Society (MTS), have become a security threat for residents of nearby houses, as it is impossible for the government, the schools and the residential societies' administrations to ensure foolproof security in such a densely populated area.

Responding to the threat, residents of the MTS have requested their administration act against such illegal commercialisations before any untoward incident occurs. Model Town Residents Association (MTRS) President Amir Azam said that there were more than 100 schools, colleges and other educational institutions in the MTS alone. He said these had been through illegal commercialisation of residential properties. He said the MTS administration had failed to shut down these institutions despite their having no legal standing under society law.

"There are a large number of such schools across the city. However, the schools in the MTS and similar societies are more at risk because they cater to the social class being targeted by the terrorists. The government and MTS would be equally at fault if any untoward incident occurs," the president added. He said the administration could easily force these institutions to shut down by simply disconnecting their water and electricity connections and cancelling their society memberships. Some of "the residents believe that the administration officials are taking bribes from these institutions", he alleged.

Azam said the residents had requested the administration to remove schools, government and public offices from the locality since the bombing of a government office in March 2008. "At least 30 of the houses present in the radius of the targeted building, supposedly the office of a security agency, were damaged while many people received injuries," he said.

Court orders: However, MTS President Col (r) Tahir Kardar said that the administration had been endeavouring to have all illegally commercialised houses removed from the society. "We wrote letters to the highest government authorities and are providing electricity to illegally commercialised sites for Rs 20/unit with threats to cancel their memberships. However, the owners go to court and get stay orders and adopt other methods to continue in the area," he said. He said the society administration had purchased six patrol vehicles with a team of more than 140 armed and unarmed security guards to ensure the educational institutions had adequate security.

Kardar said there were more than 350 illegally commercialised sites in the MTS when the current administration had come into power. However, he added, more than 125 had been forced to exit Model Town due to the discouraging measures adopted by the administration. He said the locality was one of the most elite places in the country. "The better environment and other facilities provided by the administration make MTS a desired home for all people of society, but also bring unwanted attention," he added. Daily times

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Campuses with poor security closed
Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that dialogue is the beauty of democracy and the PML-N has presented its stance to the President regarding the supremacy of Parliament, restoration of the powers of Prime Minister and implementation of the Charter of Democracy.

Talking to media representatives, after the inaugural session of 6th Asian Buffalo Congress at a local hotel here Tuesday, the chief minister said that some private educational institutions failing to make proper security arrangements, had been closed. He said that the provision of security to students was the responsibility of private educational institutions and action would be taken against the institutions failing to make necessary security arrangements.

Earlier, addressing the event which was jointly arranged by University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences and Livestock & Dairy Department Punjab, the CM said livestock sector was the backbone of agriculture economy and contributed an impressive 11.4 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. He said the Punjab government was benefiting from the latest technology for the progress of livestock and dairy development sector for increasing milk and meat production as well as improving socio-economic condition of those associated with this sector.

Appreciating the courage and determination of a brilliant student of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hafiz Adnan, who is suffering from bone cancer, Shahbaz Sharif announced that all expenses on his treatment would be paid by the government.

He said that buffalo was an important source of livelihood due to its milk and meat and 'Nili' and 'Ravi' breeds of buffalo of Punjab were known the world over. He said that dairy farming sector was playing an important role in the economic development of the country and buffaloes were very rightly called "Black Gold" producing "White Oil".

He said that the Punjab government had taken a number of practical measures for the uplift of the sector. He said that the purpose of arranging buffalo congress was to promote awareness in the farmers about the importance of raising superior breeds of buffaloes and benefiting from the latest research for increasing milk and meat production. The news

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TV cameraman roughed up at college
Gujrat: Students and security guards of the Government Science Degree College (GT Road), a constituent college of the University of Gujrat, on Tuesday thrashed a TV cameraman and damaged his cameras while he was covering in-absentia funeral prayers for the victims of the International Islamic University Islamabad blast.

Mirza Muhammad Younis, a lensman working for a private TV channel, said he visited the college to cover in-absentia funeral prayers for the IIUI suicide attack victims. He claimed that college principal Chaudhry Muhammad Aslam first abused him and then asked the students to "kick me out" as he didn't want the activity to be covered.

"The college principal and a professor told the students to beat me up. During the assault, the students damaged my cameras and later the security guards dragged me out of the campus," he said.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Nizamuddin sent Additional Registrar Sheikh Abdul Rashid to probe the incident. He assured the journalist that he would be compensated for the damage to his belongings, and submitted the report to the VC.-Correspondent. Dawn

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LUMS inaugurates faculty, university councils
Lahore: The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has established a system whereby the faculty will participate in university governance through an elected faculty council (FC) and university council (UC) as a means of achieving a model of shared governance.

At the inaugural session on Tuesday, LUMS Vice Chancellor Dr Ahmad J Durrani formally declared the FC a working body, adding it would contribute to the growth of the institution. He expressed his faith in the body and hoped it would play a pivotal role in highlighting issues and providing constructive advice in areas where the university needed improvement. staff report. Daily times

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