Schools told to secure premises before reopening on Jan 12

Karachi
The top authorities of Sindh decided on Thursday that all government and private schools in the province would reopen on January 12 after the winter vacations and implement a short-term security plan for securing their premises.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ebad at the Governor House. Among the attendees were Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Rangers Director General Major General Bilal Akbar, provincial police chief Ghulam Hyder Jamali, Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo and representatives of the Corps-V of the army and private schools’ associations.
The meeting was informed that a committee, comprising Karachi’s commissioner as its head and the government’s registrar for private schools and representatives of private schools as its members, had been constituted for conducting security audits of all private schools to make their security arrangements foolproof.
The officials decided that on the pattern of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, a schools-police liaison committee would be constituted at the Governor House to resolve security issues concerning private schools on a daily basis.
The Rangers and police officials held out the assurance that patrolling would be enhanced around the premises of schools and special security measures would be taken during the teaching hours.
The governor said that closed-circuit television cameras to be installed for schools’ security would later be hooked to the city’s Central Command and Control System.
He said that under the extraordinary circumstances in the wake of an attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, private schools should take precautions and measures for safeguarding their premises, while for ensuring security outside the schools, the law-enforcement agencies and city and district administrations would render full assistance to the school managements.
Ebad urged the managements of private schools to keep with them the emergency and helpline service numbers of the Rangers, the police, the CPLC and the Commissioner’s Office.
He assured the associations and managements of private schools that all their security needs would be readily fulfilled by the government. He directed the Karachi commissioner to provide assistance in this regard.
Owing to concerted efforts of the law enforcement agencies, target killings, acts of terrorism, extortion collection and kidnappings for ransom had phenomenally declined in the city, he added.
The Rangers director general informed the meeting that the paramilitary force had constituted a special task force for rapidly dealing with cases and incidents of terrorism. He said the force could be approached through a cellphone call or a text message at 1101.
He said the managements of private schools should avail of that service of the task force to deal with any security threat.
The provincial police chief said private schools facing any security threat or an alarming situation could instantly intimate the police authorities at the helpline service number 15.
He said that after the Peshawar school attack, the police would provide special security service for securing the school premises in the province.