66 Gujranwala schools to be denationalized
GUJRANWALA, July 11: At least 66 boys and girls schools in the district would be denationalized under the Punjab government denationalization plan, Dawn learnt here on Thursday.
According to a survey report, there are 103 high/higher secondary schools for boys and 70 high/higher secondary schools for girls in the district. Of them, 24 boys and 12 girls schools will be denationalized in the city. Now the city of 1.3 million population will have only seven government high schools — three for boys and four for girls.
Similarly, 30 elementary schools for boys and girls out of 155 will also be denationalized in the district.
Around 760 teachers and 155 clerks and low paid employees will also affect due to the denationalization of these educational institutions.
Meanwhile, 165 posts of teachers are still lying vacant in government high schools across the district and teachers to be affected by the denationalization policy are trying to get their transfer to these schools to avoid unemployment.
Organizations of teachers, professors and lecturers threatened to go on a province-wide strike if the Punjab government did not withdraw the ordinance of denationalization policy.
AUCTION: The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) will auction all 51 non-digital telephone exchanges in the region on July 15.
The decision was taken at a meeting held here on Thursday presided over by PTCL general manager Muhammad Anwer while deputy general manager, directors, divisional engineers and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.
GM Muhammad Anwer said that new digital telephone exchanges would be installed in the region besides providing better facilities to subscribers.
DEATH WARRANTS: The local anti-terrorism court No 2 on Thursday issued death warrants for two condemned prisoners involved in the killing of nine people in Mangowali, Gujrat.
The judge fixed July 30 for their execution.
Convicts Amjad Iqbal and Muhammad Rashid along with their accomplices had killed nine people, including five women, over murder enmity on Feb 8, 1996, in Mangowali village. The judge had handed down death sentence and fined Rs100,000 each to all eight accused on Sept 24, 1998. However, the Lahore High Court converted the death sentence of six convicts into life-term and increased the fine to Rs200,000 each.
WALK: A walk was staged to mark the ‘World Population Day’ which was organized by the Welfare Population Department and a sport organization here on Thursday.
The walk, led by Saddar tehsil Naib Nazim Sardar Inamul Haq and senior officers of the Welfare department, started from the district health office on the Sialkot Road and terminated on Ratta Road at the Welfare Population office.
Speakers underlined the need to reduce the population growth rate with the cooperation of Welfare Population Department to put the country on the road to progress and prosperity.