KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have closed six Iranian schools that were operating illegally in southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Saturday.
All of the schools shut on Friday were run by Iranian nationals in Quetta, the capital of the province bordering Iran.
“We have sealed six schools, which were being illegally run by Iranian nationals and where international syllabus was being taught in violation of the country law,” Quetta Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Zuhaib-ul-Haq told Arab News.
Shabbir Ahmed, monitoring and evaluation director of the provincial government's Balochistan Education Foundation, said four more schools are being investigated, also for teaching foreign curriculum
"It’s more likely that the remaining four schools will also be sealed since they also don’t fulfil requirements," Ahmed said. "Foreign-funded schools with foreign faculty and foreign syllabus are unacceptable."
He added that not only the management of the schools but also their faculty consisted of Iranian nationals.
Portraits of Iranian leaders are displayed on the wall of a school operated illegally by Iranian nationals in Quetta, Balochistan province on June 11, 2021. (Photo courtesy: Quetta Assistant Commissioner)
It remains unclear when the schools were established. While they had their 1992 no objection certificates displayed on notice boards, Ahmed said, this was not sufficient for them to operate as they had not registered with the provincial home and education departments.
The closed schools attracted the attention of local authorities five months ago and were asked to get properly registered.
A signboard of an Iranian school is visible on its wall in Quetta, Balochistan province on June 11, 2021, as Pakistani authorities move to seal it over operating without registration. (Photo courtesy: Quetta Assistant Commissioner)
"A form was handed over to them to get themselves registered but registration was declined after they failed to fulfil requirements," Ahmed said.
“If you are teaching in Pakistan, which is a sovereign state, you will have to teach Pakistani syllabus," he added. "This is not possible to teach a foreign curriculum in a sovereign state."
