Cantonment board officials lock students inside of schools

RAWALPINDI: In an unusual move, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board officials sealed two private schools on Tipu Road while students of the primary section were still inside the premises.

The unexpected closure of the schools caused panic among the students, who cried uncontrollably. The Cantonment boards had earlier announced to seal schools from January 1.

Upon hearing the hue and cry, nearby shopkeepers, citizens and passers-by gathered in large numbers and the school administrations also informed the parents about their children, who had been locked inside the schools.

Parents also showed up and staged a protest demonstration against the Cantonment board administration for locking up their children in the schools.

The All-Pakistan Private Schools Association (APPSA) members also joined them in their protest.

With students continuously crying inside the sealed schools as their parents and owners sat outside the schools protesting, the Cantonment authorities eventually broke the locks and allowed the children to leave before resealing the schools.

On Monday, Cantonment Boards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala sealed a total of 13 private schools functioning in residential areas.

Meanwhile, High Court Rawalpindi bench judge Raheel Kamran will hear APPSA’s constitutional petition against the closure of schools and the Cantonment Act of 1924 on Tuesday (today).