RAWALPINDI: Girls protest against shifting of college
RAWALPINDI, Oct 23: Hundreds of college girls took out a rally on Tuesday against the District Nazim and the education department for their decision of shifting their college building.
The students of Government Girls Khadija Omer Intermediate College, Tench Bhatta, brought out the protest rally, against the District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani and the education department and marched through the city roads.
They demanded a new college building and vowed to march to the President House, Islamabad, if they were sent to a makeshift college on Peshawar Road.
The protesting students were holding placards demanding reconstruction of their dilapidated building and raised slogans against the education department officials.
The girls, chanting slogans led by the student council, broke open the college gate and started marching on the road. The rally passed through markets, The Mall, Mareer Chowk, Liaquat Bagh Chowk and arrived the office of education directorate near Liaquat Bagh covering a distance of four kilometres.
The jubilant girls said: “We have reached here after facing a great deal of hardships. The boys and men kept staring at us, but we have made it”.
“Girls are studying under the constant fear that one day the roof will collapse”, a student, Hira Kazmi said.
“The government is busy with Afghanistan problem. Here we are being threatened with the closure of the college, if we do not obey their orders,” another girl said.
More than 70 per cent students are contemplating terminating their education, if the college is shifted near Kohi Noor mill, since getting their would be beyond their financial means.
The girls said they were made to sit on mats and sheets. “Everyone here fears a tragic death. During rains water seeps through the roof of the college,” a frightened Hina said.
Mr Jaleel Tariq, the executive district officer education invited a few of the protesting girls to his office and held a meeting with them.
The outcome of the meeting was not known. The protesting girls were forcibly crammed into buses and sent back to their college.