Its building is safe. It’s boundary wall is high and it’s well-protected from all the sides. Why should I assure the authorities of doing something that is beyond my capacity,” said one such principal.
Attendance at most of the schools was thin partly due to security reasons and mainly because most of the students remained absent on the first day after long vacations.
The gory incident of the Army Public also discouraged some parents to avoid sending kids to schools on the maiden day after holidays. “I have three kids. My wife sent one of them to school, who was having paper today. The remaining two stayed home. Soon after my son departed for the school, my wife started reciting verses from Holy Quran and praying for safety of my son and other schoolkids,” said Altafullah, a parent.
Provincial ministers also visited different schools to check security arrangements and encourage the students and staff members. Education Minister Mohammad Atif Khan visited a number of schools and colleges and he was satisfied over the security arrangements made there.
“I visited three schools and the Frontier College for Women. Enough security measures were taken in the schools,” he told The News, when reached by telephone. Asked about action if taken against any delinquent school, he said it could not be known on the day one of the schools’ reopening. But if any school face specific threats and it is located in a risky area, it would have to make the security arrangements or else action would be taken against it, he said.
He said that most of the government institutions have taken necessary security measures and others were making the arrangements. The authorities were also pressing the private institutions to improve their security, he added.
Finance Minister Muzaffar Said also visited several schools in the Peshawar cantonment and city areas. He also inspected security measures.Our correspondent in Charsadda adds: All education institutions reopened on Monday in the district after the winter vacations amid stringent security arrangements.
Law enforcers and private security guards were deployed in and around the schools buildings. The administration of most of the schools had also installed close circuit television cameras (CCTV) to keep a check on any suspected person and suspicious activity.
The officials of the district administration and police visited various schools to review the security arrangements However, the administration of the Bacha Khan University Charsadda had extended the winter vacation..