Warning bells: Teachers, parents rattled over closure of 16 colleges for women

Threaten to protest outside Chief Minister House if grievances are not addressed

CHARSADDA: Teachers, parents and students have decided to take to the streets in different parts of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over plans to close down 16 colleges for women in the next few months.

Qaumi Watan Party leader Muhammad Arif Paracha held a news conference in Charsadda to raise a voice against the closure of these institutes which belong to Frontier Education Foundation (FEF).

“This is an attempt to distance women from education,” he said. “Parents are already reluctant to educate their daughters due to financial constraints.”

A majority of these colleges are situated in areas that do not have access to educational facilities, especially for women.

“We request the provincial government reconsiders its decision to close the institutes,” he said. “If the matter is not resolved, parents, teachers and students will protest outside Chief Minister House.”

According to Paracha, if the plan is executed it will adversely impact students and teachers.



Earlier this week, FEF refused to grant admissions to new female students in Bannu in the first and third years due to a lack of resources. As a result, residents issued a strike call.

In November 2015, the board at FEF decided to integrate several of its colleges with government institutions. This was done to offset the effect of low enrolment. The FEF is an organisation created to manage the promotion of education in K-P, it was founded in 1992.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2016.