News
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
640 schools under occupation across country, SC toldStaff Report
Islamabad: The court directed action against the occupants of the schools without any discrimination. The hearing of the case has been adjourned until April 8. On the last hearing on February 11, the court had observed that animals are kept in schools and their buildings have been turned into stables. “Apparently salaries are being disbursed as buildings remain abandoned or occupied by animals.
This is what we are doing to our children when education is a constitutional right,” the chief justice noted.
“The government has failed to provide any answer or details about the state of ‘ghost’ and non-functional schools.
It is not the court’s job to micromanage things, but we have to enforce fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution,” he added. The court told the district judges to probe how many functioning and “ghosts schools” existed, how much fund was being spent on the education sector and how many students attended schools.
It also called for ascertaining how many school buildings had been occupied and why action was not being taken against the people responsible, why efforts were mot being made to retrieve school buildings from illegal occupants. The court directed its office to send copies of this order to all high court registrars for implementation.
The court said it was the duty of the government to provide free education to its citizens under Article 25 A of the constitution, but nothing had been done in this regard.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk