RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has given private and public sector schools a week to improve on their security deficiencies, and have threatened strict action if they fail to do so.

However, private schools on Sunday threatened to close down schools across the province if local police did not stop harassing them in the name of security.

The threat was made by the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA), in a meeting held in Rawalpindi.

APPSMA president Adeeb Jadawani and Rawalpindi chapter president Abrar Ahmed Khan demanded that private schools` problems be addressed otherwise, schools would be closed.

Mr Khan told Dawn that the police was causing unnecessary problems for private schools, for security arrangements.He said Punjab police has issued notices to 1,312 private educational institutions across the province, and despite the government`s claim these notices were not withdrawn.

`In Rawalpindi, the local police forced schools in narrow streets to install barriers in front of the school gates, but this wasn`t possible for the school management as local residents resented the closure of streets and roads by the schools,` he said.

He said school administrations had been asked to submit a fee of Rs7,000 per pistol or rifle licence with the District Coordination Office. `We are ready to submit the fee, but the government should understand the problems of the private schools as well,` he said.

He said school administrations were also forced to sign statements saying that, upon the completion of security measures, the school management would be responsible in case of any untoward situation.

He said private schools were ready to continue educating students if the government withdraws the various taxes levied on private schools, and devises a plan to introduce more taxes on them in the coming fiscal year.

A senior police official told Dawn that the local administration and police have been asl
He said it was not possible for local police to deploy personnel at all public and private schools, and security arrangements should be made by educational institutions. He said police would guide and train their guards to ensure that the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the provincial government are implemented.

He said the provincial government had said that the head of an institution public or private should be arrested if the SOPs were not being followed.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer Sajid Zafar Dall said the police was harassing education institutions, but the local administration had given school administrations an additional week to construct boundary walls and deploy guards.

`During a survey, 23 out of 399 schools surveyed by police and local administration officials were found to be lacking security measures. The teams will complete the survey of 516 schools next week,` he said.

He said: `Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has formed a team to inspect Rawalpindi Division for educational institutions` security and submit its report on February 10. Checl(ing will continue in the coming days.