Education lockdown imminent in K-P
Schoolteachers from across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa held protests to push for various demands, threatening to bring the education system of the province to its knees by closing down more than 26,000 institutes.
The demands included the promotion of senior teachers, the abolition of the Contributory Pension Fund, the restoration of the general provident fund, the regularisation of contract teachers, and the end of the privatisation policy for government schools.
The All Primary Teachers Association (APTA) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa announced that if their demands were not met by October 30, they would hold a protest in Peshawar on November 5, and fully lock down primary schools.
Primary teachers held a protest in front of the Peshawar Press Club, similar to demonstrations across the province, with a large number of female teachers actively participating. The protest was led by APTA's provincial president, Azizullah Khan, and other officials. The demonstrators held placards and banners displaying their demands.
Azizullah Khan said that teachers had always prioritised dialogue, but despite a year of continuous efforts, and meetings/discussions with government members, a notification for the upgradation of primary teachers was yet to be issued.
"This notification was unanimously approved by the provincial cabinet on January 17, 2023, and was legally supposed to be enforced from July 1, 2023," he said. "However, the finance department has stalled this rightful decision by presenting inflated cost estimates, misleading the government, and preventing it from implementing the teachers' upgradation, which aligns with the party's educational vision."
He added that despite facing hardships, the teachers were not afraid. "They had previously staged a historic five-day sit-in protest and are ready to do it again."
The teachers demanded immediate implementation of their upgradation, appointment of class-wise teachers in primary schools, reduction of the burden of books on primary students, rejection of the privatisation of primary schools, issuance of SPS teacher posts and position codes in merged districts, implementation of the GP fund according to the Regularization Act 2022, and regularisation of teachers left out. They also called for legislative measures to keep teachers, who were transferred under UC and interdistrict transfers, in their current districts.
It was made clear that if their demands were not fulfilled by October 30, 100,000 primary teachers from across the province would hold a sit-in in Peshawar on November 5, and 26,000 primary schools would be completely shut down.
In Batkhela, primary school teachers locked their schools and staged a protest in support of their demands. They warned that if the demands were not met, they would shut down government schools indefinitely and take to the streets. The protesters raised slogans in front of the Malakand Press Club in Batkhela, carrying banners and placards in their hands.
Addressing the protesters, Malakand All Primary Teachers Association President Dr Salman Ali and other senior teaching staff declared that the boys' and girls' primary schools had been partially closed at 11am. If their demands were not met, they warned of closing the schools permanently for an indefinite period.
They emphasised that teachers had previously sacrificed benefits by protesting for their rights, and were willing to continue till their demands were met.
Over in Chitral, a rally was held on the call of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa All Primary Teachers Association. The rally passed through various markets.