PM bans use of Islamabad schools, colleges for police deployment

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has imposed a complete ban on accommodating police and security personnel in Islamabad’s schools and colleges during law and order situations at the cost of students’ education. He has also directed that teachers shall not be assigned duties other than teaching under any circumstances.

A source said the prime minister, while chairing a meeting on Islamabad’s education sector recently, observed that schools were meant to impart education and teachers were responsible for teaching students. Therefore, there was no justification for using school buildings for any other purpose to deal with law and order situations.

“School premises and buildings shall not be occupied by law enforcement agencies for any purpose,” the prime minister said.

Teachers exempted from election, census and other administrative duties

Following the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office also issued written instructions to the Ministry of Education to ensure that schools were not used for any other purpose. On Wednesday, the education ministry conveyed the landmark decisions to the Islamabad district administration and police.

Accordingly, the ministry stated in its letter that the premises, buildings, classrooms and other facilities of schools and colleges under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) must not be occupied, used or handed over to any law enforcement agency, including for temporary campuses, personnel deployment, detention facilities or other operational activities, to prevent disruption to students’ education.

“The prime minister has further directed that schoolteachers shall not be required to perform administrative duties, including election duties, census activities, household surveys, etc, in future. Moreover, such duties already assigned to teachers must be cancelled immediately in compliance with the prime minister’s directive,” the letter stated.

The education ministry’s letter was addressed to the chief commissioner Islamabad, CDA chairman, inspector general of police, secretary interior and director general of the FDE.

It is to mention that thousands of students in 38 public-sector schools and colleges in the capital recently suffered educational losses, with their institutions remaining closed for periods ranging from one to three weeks to accommodate law enforcement personnel.

An FDE official said 38 schools and colleges had been closed in September to accommodate police personnel ahead of the PTI’s anticipated protest march. The government had started shifting police personnel to Islamabad’s educational institutions on Sept 24, three days before the party’s scheduled rally.

Later, when the situation came under control and governor’s rule was imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the government reopened the schools and colleges.

“Let me appreciate Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for this remarkable decision. Closing schools and colleges to accommodate police personnel was illogical. Secondly, teachers have been demanding exemption from election, census and other duties for years, but the prime minister has finally accepted their demand,” a federal government officer said.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2026