Fact-check: Yes, it’s mandatory for students in Gujranwala to learn about the Pakistan Army

A notification has circulated online, alongside the claim that schools in Gujranwala, Punjab, have been directed to ensure students are taught about the achievements of the Pakistan military every day.

The claim is accurate.

Claim

“Students in all private and public schools will be given a daily lecture on the services of the Pakistan armed forces,” a user wrote on Twitter, “A notification has also been issued in this regard.”

The post has been viewed over 276,300 times and liked more than 2,000 times to date.

A verified Twitter account asked if the notification was authentic. “Is this true that private and public schools in Gujranwala are required to sing praises of the Pakistan Army on ‘every day’ basis?” he asked, “6TH Gen Warfare.”

Fact

The District Education Authority in Gujranwala, Punjab, which issued the notification, has confirmed that it is indeed authentic.

As per the official notification, dated March 20, all public and private schools in the Gujranwala district have been instructed to educate students about the accomplishments of the Pakistan Army.

For which lectures and speeches are to be arranged on a daily basis regarding the military’s “sacrifices for the country”, “the security it provides on the borders”, “its services in defeating the enemies of the country”, “combating terrorism”, and “its relief work during natural disasters”.

Maroof Ahmad, the chief executive officer at the District Education Authority in Gujranwala, told Geo Fact Check over the phone: “Absolutely. We [the District Education Authority] have issued this notification. It was only valid till March 23 [the Pakistan Day].”

“We want to speak in favour of our institutions,” he added, “The older kids have to later find jobs and when officers from the army visit our schools they [the officers] can motivate them [the students].”

Two public schools in the Gujranwala district also confirmed that they had received the notification, but added that the program did not discontinue on March 23.

Abdul Shakoor, the headmaster of the Government Boys High School No 2 in the Nowshera Virkan tehsil of Gujranwala, told Geo Fact Check over the phone, that since no specific time period was mentioned in the official letter so the administration is continuing to teach students about the Pakistan Army every day.

While Habib Ahsan, a senior subject specialist at the Government Higher Secondary School in Gujranwala, and Afzaal Butt, the principal of the private Dar-e-Arqam school, also said they are still implementing the orders passed by the District Education Authority.

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