- Official says institutions causing panic for residents, a security risk
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has shut down around 42 private schools working in the residential areas of different sectors and regulated societies of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to relocate these institutions in commercial areas.
A CDA official said that the action has been taken following the orders of the Islamabad High Court which clearly directed all the private schools to vacate their building in the residential areas as the institutions were causing panic for the residents and were also a security risk.
The official of the CDA’s Building Control Department warned that all the schools opened in the residential areas would be sealed during the weekend holidays. The action was being taken in accordance with the court’s orders of May 3, under which the court had directed the private schools to shift from the residential areas to commercial, he said.
“We have closed around 42 private schools so far in G-6, G-7, H-8 and the activity would be continued till complete implementation of the court order, he said. The schools had not followed the instructions of the court despite passing of near three months due to which the CDA has to take action to implement the courts order, he said.
The houses on rent for schools were not for the commercial use, the official said, adding that the management of the institutions have to replace their location from residential to commercial. However, the officials of the different associations of the private schools and colleges have requested the high court to give appropriate time to these schools so that they could arrange alternative buildings in the commercial areas.
Due to an urgent action of the CDA for relocating these schools to the commercial areas, they said that the future of over 350,000 students learning in the private schools were at risk. All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association President Malik Ibrar Hussain has declared the CDA action as illegal and anti-state.
He lamented over the CDA action, saying that it would close the doors of education on hundreds of the students getting education in around 1500 private schools of the federal capital as well as more than 40 thousand of staff including teachers and others. He said that CDA was taking action without earlier intimation to the schools, therefore they do not have time to arrange substitutes of the present buildings.
In an old case, without hearing the stance of the private sector, CDA has closed the doors of education on the residents of Islamabad which is clearly anti-state action, he said and demanded of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take sue-motto notice of the situation, safeguarding the future of thousands of children.
He said that CDA action was defaming the country and teachers across the globe. He said that the association would knock the door of the apex court in this regard, adding that they would not keep themselves aside from the ongoing circumstances. It is pertinent to note that more than 1500 private schools were working in Islamabad’s urban areas with around 350,000 students. CDA has closed around 42 private sector schools so far in the different sectors.