Rawalpindi District Registration Authority orders unregistered schools to register

What happened

During a meeting held on Friday, the District Registration Authority (DRA) of Rawalpindi, chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Social Services) Fazail Mudassar, issued a one-week deadline for unregistered private educational institutions to submit necessary documentation and fulfill legal requirements [1, 2]. The authority warned that premises failing to comply within this timeframe will be sealed [1, 2].

Key developments from the meeting include:

• New Registrations: Applications for 35 newly established private educational institutions were presented. One application was rejected due to incomplete documentation. The registration of the remaining 34 institutions is conditional upon the submission of mandatory IT and Science Lab certificates [1, 2].
• Safety Audits and Evaluations: The authority decided to conduct third-party evaluations to assess the structural integrity of private school buildings [1, 2]. A committee has been formed for this purpose under the supervision of the ADC (Social Services), including the CEO (Education), the Executive Engineer (Buildings), and the Deputy Director (Development) [1, 2].
• Safety Surveys: District Education Authority CEO Yasin Khan Baloch stated that a survey is being conducted on 7,000 private schools and 1,300 government-run schools regarding safety measures and dangerous buildings [1]. To date, the survey has covered 5,000 schools, 300 private schools, and 143 government-run schools. The 143 government schools have been given one week to complete safety measures [1].
• Fines: The meeting authorized fines for educational institutions that violated government directives during the summer vacation period [1, 2].
• Administrative Concerns: DRA Member Javed Khan expressed concern regarding notices from certain Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) officials demanding the commercialization of building premises while safety audits are ongoing [1]. He requested the ADC to direct officials to halt these actions so audits can proceed without hindrance [1, 2].
• Coordination Requirements: DRA Member Abrar Ahmed Khan noted that registration requires clear guidelines, defined timeframes, and coordination between departments [1].

Who is affected

• Unregistered Private Schools: All unregistered private educational institutions in the Rawalpindi district must register within one week or face sealing [1, 2].
• Newly Established Schools: 34 institutions must provide IT and Science Lab certificates to finalize registration [1, 2].
• Government Schools: 143 government-run schools have been instructed to complete safety measures within one week [1].
• General School Population: The safety surveys target 7,000 private schools and 1,300 government-run schools in the district [1].

Meeting Attendees:

• Fazail Mudassar, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Social Services) [1, 2]
• Yasin Khan Baloch, District Education Authority CEO [1, 2]
• Abrar Ahmed Khan, Member of the District Registration Authority [1, 2]
• Javed Khan, Member of the District Registration Authority [1]
• Muhammad Imran, District Monitoring representative [1, 2]
• Waqas Akhtar, In-charge of the DRA branch [1, 2]
• Sohail Ahmed, AEO Private Schools [1, 2]