Devolution brings poor students and community teachers out on the streets

NEF was established back in the 90s to provide education to underprivileged children.

ISLAMABAD:

The 18th Constitutional Amendment may have come as a significant accomplishment in the democratic history of the country, but its repercussions are not going well with the public.

As students and educationists continue to protest the devolution of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), teachers from the National Education Foundation (NEF) took to the streets against the axing of their organisation under the same pretext.

A large number of students and teachers working in the Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) on Thursday gathered at the D-Chowk in Islamabad to hold a protest against the devolution of National Education Foundation, under which they were working.

NEF, an autonomous body, was supervising more than 1,500 community schools across the country, particularly in the rural areas.

It was established back in the 90s by Benazir Bhutto and its prime purpose was providing cheap education to underprivileged children.

“Our school was closed a day before yesterday and we were told not to come from tomorrow,” said a frustrated student who, among others, was protesting against the government decision.

The protesters were mostly community teachers and their students. With banners and black flags, they encircled the roundabout of D-Chowk, blocking all roads leading to the Secretariat.

They chanted slogans against the government and criticised what they perceived as “snatching the right of education from children belonging to poor communities”.

Addressing the protesters, Tabinda Ahmed, Deputy Director NEF capital region, said that the government has eliminated the NEF without caring about the 600,000 students and over 1,500 community teachers.

She said under the BECS more than 600,000 students were receiving free-of-charge basic education.

She demanded the government to withdraw the decision of devolving NEF immediately, asking it to pay the salaries of the workers, which have been due for the past six months. “The protest would not be called off unless our demands are accepted,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2011.