Attock School in Jand Sealed Over Missing Health and Building Certificates

What Happened

The local administration in Attock has sealed a private school in Mohallah Saghirabad, in the urban area of Jand town. Dawn reports that the school was sealed over its alleged failure to hold mandatory health and building safety certificates. Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reports the same action and says officials announced it on Wednesday.

The action was taken during an inspection by Assistant Commissioner Ahmad Ali Raza and Deputy District Education Officer Saeed Ashraf. Officials found that the school management had neither a health certificate nor a building safety certificate. According to the sources, these documents are required to show that educational premises meet basic health and structural safety standards.

Officials said school managements must fulfil all legal requirements relating to students’ health and safety. APP quotes the administration as saying compliance with the safety standards is needed to protect students.

The administration is continuing inspections of educational institutions across Jand. Dawn says these checks assess cleanliness, sanitation, health requirements, building safety and other precautionary measures. APP describes the inspections as covering sanitation, health standards, structural safety and other prescribed regulations in Jand tehsil. Both sources say the drive comes amid growing emphasis on enforcing safety rules at educational institutions in Punjab, following incidents that have raised concerns about students’ welfare.

Separately, Dawn reports that police sources said four people were arrested on Wednesday over three different sexual crimes in parts of Attock. Two people were arrested over an alleged sexual assault of a boy within the limits of Jand Police Station. A man was arrested over an alleged sexual assault of a teenager in the same police station limits. A further man was arrested over an alleged sexual assault of a boy within the limits of Injra Police Station. Police registered separate cases and launched further investigations.

Who Is Affected

The sealing directly affects students at the private school in Mohallah Saghirabad, Jand. The inspections affect the other educational institutions across Jand town and tehsil, which the administration is checking for the same safety and health requirements.