RAWALPINDI: A new 10-point security advisory has been issued for all public and private schools across the Rawalpindi division following recent security threats, including a suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts.
In response, the Punjab government has approved the recruitment of 30,000 retired military and police personnel on daily wages to bolster security across the province. The Education Department has instructed district and tehsil education officers to immediately hire retired personnel as security guards for schools and colleges.
The new measures also include raising boundary walls to eight feet, with an additional two feet of barbed wire, and installing modern CCTV cameras at gates, rooftops, grounds, and corridors. Schools must also maintain a UPS with a heavy-duty battery for backup and set up a control room, with a focal person in charge throughout school hours.
Other requirements include the installation of metal detectors and walk-through gates, as well as visitor registers at main gates to record entrants’ names and CNIC numbers. Schools must display guidelines for rescue training and anti-terror preparedness.
Strict monitoring will be conducted across the division, with assistant district education officers inspecting two schools daily in each tehsil, while district education officers and CEOs will inspect two institutions daily as well. Officials failing to submit reports will face action, and school heads who do not comply with security measures will face disciplinary consequences. Students will not be allowed to leave campus during breaks, and outsiders will not be allowed entry to school premises.
