Deadline Announced for Private School Registration in Rawalpindi

The District Registration Authority in Rawalpindi has announced a deadline for private schools to register within a week, or face penalties such as sealed premises. This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Social Services) Fazail Mudassar. The authority addressed the registration of unregistered institutions, legal compliance, and safety audits of educational facilities.

A one-week window was granted for unregistered institutions to submit required documentation and meet legal obligations, with enforcement measures, including sealing, for those failing to comply.

During the meeting, 35 new private schools submitted registration applications for approval. One application was rejected due to incomplete documentation, while the remaining 34 institutions were conditionally registered, pending the submission of IT and Science Lab certificates. The meeting also authorized fines for educational institutions that violated government directives during the summer vacation.

A third-party evaluation will assess the structural integrity of private school buildings, overseen by a committee under the Additional Deputy Commissioner's supervision. The District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer, Yasin Khan Baloch, revealed that the education authority is surveying 7,000 private schools and 1,300 government-run schools in Rawalpindi for safety measures and unsafe buildings.

The survey of 5,000 schools is complete, with 300 private schools and 143 government-run schools instructed to complete safety measures within a week.

Concerns were raised by Javed Khan, a District Registration Authority member, about notices from Tehsil Municipal Administration officials demanding commercialization of building premises while safety audits were ongoing. Khan urged the ADC to intervene and halt such actions.