Bhera's assistant commissioner Mohammad Murtaza garnered praises on social media as he shared his experience of sealing a school on Thursday. Taking to Twitter; the government official shared his experience of sealing a school in a village near Bhera over the violation of COVID-19 SOPs. ‘I sealed a school today. It was a small private school in a remote village half an hour away from Bhera. When the Headmaster saw us coming, he panicked and told the students to hide or run away. I did seal the school but tried doing it differently. Here’s what I did: ‘I told all the kids to go back to class and carry on their studies. I then went to every class and asked them if they were being good students. I then heard their “sabaq” {lesson} of the day;’ Murtaza narrated on the micro-blogging site. After interaction with students, he realized that non-compliance of SOPs was not the only problem but the negative impression in the minds of kids that authorities were taking away their access to education; also had to be done away with. Emphasizing the notion that ‘no child should be scared of authorities’; Murtaza said he chatted with students to explain to them about their responsibility during the pandemic and why it is important for them to keep their families and loved ones safe from the disease. ‘An AC is there to help and protect; not scare {children}’ he added. He was surprised to see that the students; unlike other pupils of their age; were not pleased with the news that their school will be closed due to the coronavirus. Instead; they were concerned about missing their lessons. ‘When I was in school, we always wanted more and more holidays but in this village [Khan Muhammad Wala]; the kids didn’t want the school to close!’ he continued. Murtaza admitted that sending children back home felt ‘terrible’ and ‘sick’. ‘How coronavirus has changed the world. The same people who campaigned for greater enrolment are now trying to close the schools. As an advocate for education, sending these kids home in a place where distance learning is impossible; felt terrible and sick;’ the official shared.
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