Islamabad, Sep 8 Solar panels from government schools continue to be stolen in Pakistan's Punjab province, the local media reported recently. After the revelations of widespread thefts, the Punjab Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked police to probe the matter.
According to the report, solar panels from 50 schools were stolen in Rajanpur alone between 2022-2023. Voicing serious concern over the issue, the PAC emphasised that District Police Officers (DPOs) of the impacted districts will be issued strict letters over their inability to stop thefts, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.
Malik further slammed the Education Department for refusing to take responsibility and instead blaming the District Health Authority for the issue. The committee directed that a detailed inquiry should be carried out to find the number of schools that have been impacted and the extent of recovery, if any.
In its response, the Education Department stated that FIRs have been filed about the thefts. However, no recovery has been made to date. It acknowledged that the District Education Authority was unable to safeguard the solar panels.
More than 10,000 public schools were privatised by the Punjab School Education Department in the six months and reports revealed widespread theft from many of these schools, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported in May, this year. The items that were stolen from schools included furniture, fans, chairs and solar panels.
Grade-IV employees were being blamed for the theft while inquiry was been initiated against unknown individuals. Schools in remote rural regions faced extensive loss of school assets, according to departmental sources. Officials had claimed that some personnel took these items for personal use and they were being closely monitored, The Express Tribune reported.
The department has warned of strict disciplinary action and directed staff to voluntarily return any stolen property. The Punjab School Education Department has, meanwhile, privatised 4,789 public schools in the second phase of the privatisation drive in March. The department had shared details regarding the schools that were privatised. With the latest phase of privatisation drive, the total number of public schools in Punjab has lowered to 38,154.
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