PESHAWAR: In a bizarre move, the elementary and secondary education department has directed all schools that if the concerned watchman is unfit to handle a weapon then he should bring any of his relatives trained for that purpose.

All the district education officers have been communicated the decision taken at a meeting recently held in the secretariat of the department to review security situation.

A circular, issued to the director of elementary and secondary education and all DEOs of the province for immediate implementation, says that the matter of the school Chowkidar (watchman) should be discussed with the parent-teacher councils (PTCs).

The circular available with this scribe says that if the PTC agrees, the watchman will be provided with a shotgun and the DEO concerned should immediately take up the case with the local authorities for issuing a licence in this regard.

Education dept directs untrained watchmen to engage relatives knowing use of arms

“If for some reason the Chowkidar is unfit to handle a shotgun, he will arrange for a relative to perform this duty alongside the Chowkidar,” says the circular.

It says that grills should be installed immediately at the school rooms, which have windows facing other property that is open and vulnerable like roads etc. Besides grills, the windows should be covered with steel mesh, it adds.

“The education department has not bothered to mention in the circular that from where the PTC would arrange fund to purchase a shotgun,” a senior official in the education department said.

He said that education department released Rs 10,000 to PTC annually per classroom for the pity repairs and class consumable items. “There is no other fund with the PTC,” he said.

The fresh directives regarding the security of the schools were issued after attack on the Bacha Khan University Charsadda. “These instructions should be followed in letter and spirit to ensure foolproof security of the schools throughout the province,” the circular says.

Besides the officers of the education department, the circular has also been sent to the inspector general of police, all divisional commissioners, all deputy commissioners, project director

IMU, principal staff officers to chief secretary, additional chief secretary and other administrative secretaries of the department.

Prior to it, the provincial government has also issued standard operating procedures to all educational institutions. According to the SOPs, the headmasters of the schools have been directed to deploy guards, construct the boundary walls, if not constructed, raise its height to 10 feet with fixing barbed wire on it. The SOPs also consist of deployment of security guard, installation of close circuit TV cameras, construction of watchtower and placing barriers in front of the school gate etc.

“It is beyond understanding as to how a headmaster will ask a watchman to bring his relative for holding gun and protecting a government school,” a district education officer told Dawn. He said that he was unable to understand as to why a private person would put his life in danger to protect a school.

He said that the fresh directives showed that the entire responsibility of school security rested with untrained watchman and his relatives. Literally, he said, police and other law enforcement agencies shifted the responsibility of schools’ security to the education department while it (education department) subsequently directed the PTCs to provide gun to the watchmen or their relatives.

So far police have registered over 700 FIRs against the heads of the government and private schools for not implementing the SOPs.

E&SE Secretary Afzal Latif, when contacted, excused himself from talking to media and told this scribe to contact Special Secretary Atif Khan. However, the special secretary didn’t respond despite several attempts by this scribe.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2016