LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday stayed the process of taking over the Government Central Model School by the Danish Schools System (DSS) and sought replies from the government and its relevant departments within a fortnight.

Petitions filed by Muzaffar Hashmi and others were fixed before the court as an objection case. The office had questioned unavailability of signed minutes of the cabinet’s meeting regarding the impugned decision. The court while hearing the objection raised by the office observed that the government could not force the students of the Central Model School to study in other schools. The court observed that getting education from a school of their choice was a fundamental right of the students.

The petitioners through their counsel pleaded that the Central Model School was established in 1883 and had historic importance. The counsel pointed out that the caretaker government of Punjab decided to hand over the control of the school to the DSS by converting it into a centre of excellence. He said the government had a plan to disperse the teachers and the students of the central model school and accommodate them in other schools. The counsel argued that the caretaker government had no mandate to take the impugned decision. He, therefore, asked the court to restrain the government from changing the autonomous status of the school.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023