Private schools demand Ghani’s resignation

The members of National Action Committee (NAC), a body comprising private educational institutions, demanded the resignation of Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Tuesday, criticising him for delaying schools' closure.

They staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club, where they held placards emblazoned with their demands.

Speaking on the occasion, NAC chairperson Pervez Haroon and other members said that educational institutes across the country had reopened on September 15, in line with the decision of the federal government and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

Also, they claimed, the pandemic is under control now and only four deaths have reported in the country since the past day, with just 7,000 active cases in the country.

In light of this, they dubbed Ghani's decision of delaying the reopening of schools "an act of assault on education," and expressed concern that the provincial education minister might order schools' closure again after collecting enrollment and examination fees for the grades IX and X.

They added said Ghani's seriousness regarding education could be gauged by the unavailability of textbooks for grades IX and X.

According to NAC representatives, schools only had five months to complete the syllabus, and urged that they be allowed to resume operations as decided initially, during the meeting of education ministers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2020.