SAHIWAL: The government boys` high school at 77/5-R village, located adjacent to the Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Plant, Yousafwala, has been without a proper boundary wall for more than seven years.

According to locals, the school that caters to the educational needs of the residents of 77/5-R, 76/5-R and 75/5-R villages has been denied development funds for its upkeep and security over the past many years.

Presently, more than 550male students from grades I to X, belonging to the three villages, are enrolled at the school that has a functional IT lab, a recreational hall, a red-brick building housing offices and classrooms, and three wellmaintained playgrounds.

In the evening, students and other locals play volleyball, football, and cricket in the school`s playgrounds.

Locals, including teachers, parents, students, and sports enthusiasts who practice daily in the school`s three playgrounds, demanded the construction of its 1,600-foot-long boundary wall, as its currentstate undermines security and beautiñcation efforts by the school management.

The PML-N parliamentarians, including Pir Imran Shah, who had been elected as an MNA from the NA-141 constituency four times and the politically influential Khagga family of Noor Shah, did not bother to get funds allocated for the schooloverthe pastyears.

Sources say that during the 2017-18 financial year, a grant of Rs4.6 million was approved under the Missing Facilities fund for the school, which lapsed due to mismanagement by the officials concerned.Senior school officials highlighted security concerns due to the missing boundary wall, stating that this leaves school furniture and IT equipment prone to theft or damage.

The phone number mentioned on a wall at the school for filing `complaints and suggestions` by the education department -042 111 112 020 -is reportedly non-functional. The school EMIS code 39120038 has been listed for identification purposes.

Headmaster Mr Tahir says the School Management Council has submitted a proposal seeking Rs6 million forthe construction of the boundary wall.

A source in the local education department, when asked about the fate of the proposal, expressed his ignorance about any allocation for the purpose.

Muhammad Sadiq, a local, says the current state of the school questions the tall claims of the government and programmes like `Parha Likha Punjab` The students demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz should take notice and order the construction of school`s boundary wall to ensure security of the institution.