PHC orders provision of facilities to govt schools

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed authorities to provide basic facilities to government schools and enrol the out-of-school children in the province. 

A division bench headed by Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan heard a petition, which had been filed by a non-government organisation the Society for Quality Education for enrolment of out-of-school children in the province. The bench fixed September 13 for next hearing of the case.

On account of several directions to the respondents to provide necessities to the government schools and to enrol the out-of-school children, Additional Secretary Development, Elementary & Secondary Education Department Muhammad Arshad stated that still many schools of the province lacked these facilities.

The secretary said the provincial government had allocated a substantial amount to make up for the deficiencies and develop the schools.

“We believe that this exercise has been undertaken by the provincial government only when the court took notice of the issue. It is otherwise the primary duty of the government to provide free education and proper facilities at the primary and secondary levels and also to look after the students,” the order stated.

“As such, the educationists including DEOs, both male and female, shall be assigned the task to visit, inspect and then submit their reports regarding their respective areas, where the said facilities are lacking or where proper teaching staff is not available,” the verdict stated.

However, the court also took notice of poor performance of the students of the government-run schools in the recently held matric examination.

The order stated that media had already highlighted poor performance of the students of the government-run schools in the recently held matriculation exam, compared to students of private schools. It said the Education Department authorities should brainstorm about why the performance of the students studying in the government schools had nosedived.