LAKKI MARWAT: The district council of the boy scouts association has decided to promote Shaheen scouting in government run primary schools and hold a training camp for boy scouts of public sector middle schools at the local level. The decisions were taken at a meeting held here at Government High School No. 2, in Lakki City on Sunday. ESED Assistant District Officer, Nisar Muhammad, who also holds the office of district scout secretary, presided over the meeting, where office bearers and members of the body were in attendance. The meeting reviewed the scouting activities held during the previous year and expressed satisfaction over the achievement of goals. It also discussed the scouting activities to be held during the year 2017 and assigned responsibilities to the scout leaders. The meeting decided that the scout units set up at school level would be registered with the district boy scouts association and that refresher courses would also be arranged for scout leaders at the local level. The participants also agreed to take up the holding of annual training sessions for boy scouts at Shaikh Badin mountainous resort with the higher quarters of Pakhtunkhwa boy scouts association, for approval and guidance. “The scouting activities will be held with the spirit of motivating students to take enthusiastic part in scouting events”, said Nisar. He underlined the need for revival of scouting in the public sector schools and said that with the establishment of scouts units the students would have opportunities to take part in scout events. “The district boy scouts association will take practical steps for revival of scouting in the schools”, he added. JUI Ameer says he always supported anti-polio programmes: Ameer Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) FATA, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, has categorically termed the polio vaccines as being safe for children and censured certain media outlets that misquoted him to mislead the innocent parents and play with the lives of innocent children. In a statement issued on Sunday, Mufti Abdul Shakoor said: “I consider the polio vaccine as safe and urge the parents not to listen to any rumors about it and vaccinate their children every time the polio vaccine is offered during every campaign.” He said his voice is similar to the opinion of all the “Ulemas” (religious scholars) of stature and medical doctors that polio and all other vaccines were safe and cause no harm whatsoever to the children. He said during his press conference last week, he did ask the government to investigate the unfortunate deaths of kids and also find out why kids were falling sick. He said that other potential elements, having their own maligned agendas might be trying to undermine the efforts of the government to eradicate polio from Pakistan and this should be investigated. He added that parents of the concerned children were rightfully worried and the government should satisfy them by conducting a thorough investigation and informing them about the results. He said that he had also asked the government to pay some compensation to the victims’ families. He regretted that certain media papers misquoted him on the issue. He said: “We never asked for boycotting or stopping the polio campaign in the area, rather our leadership and workers would help the government and frontline workers to make every campaign successful”. He also said that if the government gives the responsibility to the JUI, “we will eradicate polio from the entire FATA. He reiterated that parents should vaccinate their children to safeguard them against deadly diseases and cooperate with the visiting vaccinators during the next campaigns. Call to make the census a success: The Elementary and Secondary Education Department Deputy District Officer, Ikramullah Khan, has called upon his subordinate officials, to exercise all-out energies to make the upcoming population and housing census a success. He issued these directions during a meeting held at the district education office in the district headquarters complex Tajazai where ADO Nisar Muhammad, who is the focal person for census and ASDEOs including Qadeer Shah, Aqal Wazir, Khairullah Jan, Saleh Badshah and Hameedullah Khan were in attendance. The deputy district education officer directed ASDEOs to provide the lists of teachers posted in their respective circles so that those could be shared with the census district officer for their appointment as enumerators and supervisors. “The education department has a vital role on its part in the upcoming population and housing census”, he maintained, reaffirming that all-out support and assistance would be provided to the district administration and census officials so to make the activity result oriented. Mr Ikramullah also directed the ESED officials to motivate the teachers on performing duty as enumerators and supervisors in the census.