Teachers to march on Parliament on 23rd

The teachers of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have announced to stage a march on the Parliament House on Thursday (tomorrow) to protest against the government decision to put Islamabad’s educational institutions under the Municipal Corporation Islamabad through the Local Government Ordinance 2021.

The FDE Joint Action Committee (JAC) said that the government has repeatedly ignored their demands and continued to play with the education system. They further said that they will not allow the educational institutions to go on the path of destruction, although they know that the protest is affecting the education of students.

Earlier on December 9, the teaching and non-teaching staff of the FDE had called off their strike after 10 days and announced to resume educational activities. The strike was called off after the FDE Joint Action Committee held successful talks with Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood and senior officials of the Federal Education Ministry.

“We want all clauses related to federal education institutions removed from the Islamabad Local Government Ordinance 2021,” said the FDE JAC Chairman Fazal Mulla, President Malik Amir Khan, General Secretary Imran Mughal, President Non-Teaching Sardar Sadiq, General Secretary Heads Association Mansoor Shah, Aftab Hussain Rafat Rahmani and others while talking to the daily Express Forum.

They said that they had ended their previous protest on the assurance of the education minister and considering that the students were suffering.

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The JAC had demanded the reversal of the relevant section of the ordinance, under which the FDE and all educational institutions have been placed under the administrative control of the Islamabad mayor. It had also demanded a reversal of the decision of putting 33 model colleges under the administrative control of the Federal College of Education (FCE).

“Nobody from the government has contacted us since the signing of the last agreement, therefore, we have decided to hold a historical march from the Press Club to the Parliament House on December 23, where we will stage a sit-in. All employees of 423 institutions of the FDE will participate in the protest,” they said.

The decision to stage the protest was taken by the JAC with a majority vote, while the CDA union, traders, Ulema and other organisations have also been invited to take part in the protest.

“If the government tried to stop us, we will also ask students and their parents to join the march. Our protest will be peaceful and within the ambit of the law,” the JAC leaders said adding that “in the exercise of our democratic right, we have written letters to parents of all students to raise awareness of the issue. We are getting their feedback.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2021.