Up in arms: Teachers stage demo against govt
PTU says govt wreaking havoc on education sector
The banner-wielding protesters gathered near Lahore Press Club and raised slogans against the government. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
Dozens of public school teachers on Thursday staged a protest demonstration against the provincial government.
The banner-wielding protesters gathered near Lahore Press Club and raised slogans against the government. Addressing those present on the occasion, Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU) president Rana Liaquat Ali said the government had been formulating anti-education policies since eight years. He said this had wreaked havoc on the sector.
He said the government had promoted matriculation pass clerks to BS-11 while teachers who had bachelor’s, master’s and PhDs were placed in BS-9. Ali said the government had promised to remedy this but no progress had been witnessed in this regard. On the other hand, he said, the government was busy “handing over” public schools to private operators through the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF). He said this would damage education standards province-wide. “A similar move was made in 2002 when many schools were handed over to NGOs.
The same strategy is being replicated,” Ali said. He said private schools’ owners had been blackmailing the government by keeping them closed. Ali said the government was further empowering them by “privatising” more schools. The demonstrators called on the government to review its policies. They said that the government was denigrating them instead of according them respect.
The demonstrators said the government had transferred the entire burden on teachers who were regularly victimised. They rapped the establishment of District Education Authorities whose members, the demonstrators said, blamed teachers for everything that went wrong. The protestors said teachers were often punished over poor student attendance. They said it was unreasonable to expect teachers to eradicate poverty or make parents send children to school.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2016.
Dozens of public school teachers on Thursday staged a protest demonstration against the provincial government.
The banner-wielding protesters gathered near Lahore Press Club and raised slogans against the government. Addressing those present on the occasion, Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU) president Rana Liaquat Ali said the government had been formulating anti-education policies since eight years. He said this had wreaked havoc on the sector.
He said the government had promoted matriculation pass clerks to BS-11 while teachers who had bachelor’s, master’s and PhDs were placed in BS-9. Ali said the government had promised to remedy this but no progress had been witnessed in this regard. On the other hand, he said, the government was busy “handing over” public schools to private operators through the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF). He said this would damage education standards province-wide. “A similar move was made in 2002 when many schools were handed over to NGOs.
The same strategy is being replicated,” Ali said. He said private schools’ owners had been blackmailing the government by keeping them closed. Ali said the government was further empowering them by “privatising” more schools. The demonstrators called on the government to review its policies. They said that the government was denigrating them instead of according them respect.
The demonstrators said the government had transferred the entire burden on teachers who were regularly victimised. They rapped the establishment of District Education Authorities whose members, the demonstrators said, blamed teachers for everything that went wrong. The protestors said teachers were often punished over poor student attendance. They said it was unreasonable to expect teachers to eradicate poverty or make parents send children to school.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2016.