Teachers reject govt’s ‘anti-education’ policies

Education leaders criticise commercial taxes on private schools on International Education Day

RAWALPINDI:

On International Education Day on Saturday, all teachers’ organisations and associations representing private schools unanimously rejected the government’s education policies, branding them as stopgap, anti-education measures. They disclosed that over the past two years, enrolment in government schools has witnessed a record decline.

In Punjab, the number of out-of-school and street children has reached an alarming 30 million and continues to rise rapidly. Three years ago, the number of government schools stood at around 53,000, which has now fallen sharply to approximately 38,000. No regular teachers have been recruited for the past 10 years, while out of 365 days in a year, nearly 220 days are spent on holidays.

Over the last five years, the primary section has been altered three times — alternately shifted between Urdu and English medium — and has now reportedly been abolished altogether and moved towards privatisation.

President of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association, Abrar Ahmed Khan, said that Pakistan has no moral right to celebrate International Education Day as the country still lacks a consistent education policy.

He termed the imposition of commercial taxes, including electricity, gas, water charges and commercial rents on private schools, as deeply anti-education.

Meanwhile, President of the All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association, Irfan Muzaffar Kiani, said Punjab has between 38,000 and 40,000 government schools, while private schools number close to 100,000, yet receive no institutional support.

He warned that without private schools, the number of out-of-school street children in Punjab could surge to 50 million. He urged the government to declare private schools tax-free and free them from excessive holidays, stating this could help bring street children back into classrooms.

President of the All Pakistan Private Schools Association, Malik Naseem Ahmed, called for an immediate 20-year education policy, formulated in consultation with the private sector, to ensure the enrolment of street children — especially girls — into both public and private schools.

Central Secretary General of the Punjab Teachers’ Union, Rana Liaqat, warned that the continuous sale of government schools has forced students to drop out due to rising fees.