K-P govt suspends striking school teachers

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to immediately suspend absentee teachers in primary schools across the province.

In this regard, the K-P Director of Education has ordered all male and female district education officers to collect data on protesting teachers, and immediately suspend them to resume educational activities in all schools.

Those teachers who are not participating in the protest, but are still not attending school, should also be suspended, and a detailed report should be submitted to the directorate, he ordered.

On the other hand, primary teachers' protests and school closures continued for a second day. The teachers have stated that they are not intimidated by the threat of suspension; they have previously been jailed for their rights and are willing to make any sacrifice for their cause.

It has been reported that all primary schools across the province, including in Peshawar, remain closed in protest, although some institutes in certain areas stayed open.

CM calls meeting

For the upgradation of primary teachers, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has summoned key officials representing primary teachers today at 10am. They will meet him under the leadership of the deputy commissioner.

On the second day of the protest, school closures and sit-ins continued across the province. However, a WhatsApp message from the Secretary of Education claimed that most primary schools remained open.

In contrast, the provincial president of the All-Primary Teachers Association stated that all boys' and girls' primary schools in the province are completely closed, and will remain so until their demands are met. The president further said that if the K-P Department of Education's attitude remains unchanged, they will not hesitate to take to the streets.

They emphasised that their sit-in is peaceful and being held near Jinnah Park, keeping in mind the public's inconvenience.

Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director of Education issued orders to suspend teachers involved in the protest and those not attending school, although no mention of suspensions was made in the two WhatsApp statements from the Secretary of Education.

Teachers who have traveled from distant areas for the protest expressed their determination, stating that they have previously gone to jail for their demands and are ready to make any sacrifice again. They declared that schools will remain closed and the sit-in will continue, regardless of suspensions.

It is worth noting that leaders from various political parties have started visiting the protest to express solidarity with the teachers. On Wednesday, Mian Iftikhar Hussain from the Awami National Party joined the protest to show support and share his sentiments with the teachers.

On Tuesday, Primary teachers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa locked their schools and sent students home in protest over the lack of job upgrades.

The teachers also began a sit-in protest in Peshawar to demand their rights. Following a call from the APTA, all government primary schools in the province were locked, with an announcement that the schools would not reopen until the teachers' promotions were approved.