Refugee woes: Hundreds protest closure of Mattani camp school
The demonstration was led by PATA K-P president Nasrullah Khan and general secretary Muhammad Tahir.
PESHAWAR:
The Pak-Afghan Teacher Association Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (PATA K-P) rejected the decision of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) to close down Mattani camp middle school for Afghan refugees without reason.
At least four hundred protesters, including 100 female students, gathered outside the UNHCR office in University Town on Monday. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.
The demonstration was led by PATA K-P president Nasrullah Khan and general secretary Muhammad Tahir. Addressing the crowd, Nasrullah said the closure of Mattani camp middle school is completely unacceptable.
“The school was established nearly thirty years ago when Afghan refugees first came here,” said the association’s president. He criticised the PTI-led government for failing to fulfil promises of free education.
The Mattani school, code numbered 170, was run by the Basic Education for Awareness, Reforms and Empowerment, alternatively called Basic Education for Afghan Refugees (BEFARe).
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2014.
The Pak-Afghan Teacher Association Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (PATA K-P) rejected the decision of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) to close down Mattani camp middle school for Afghan refugees without reason.
At least four hundred protesters, including 100 female students, gathered outside the UNHCR office in University Town on Monday. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.
The demonstration was led by PATA K-P president Nasrullah Khan and general secretary Muhammad Tahir. Addressing the crowd, Nasrullah said the closure of Mattani camp middle school is completely unacceptable.
“The school was established nearly thirty years ago when Afghan refugees first came here,” said the association’s president. He criticised the PTI-led government for failing to fulfil promises of free education.
The Mattani school, code numbered 170, was run by the Basic Education for Awareness, Reforms and Empowerment, alternatively called Basic Education for Afghan Refugees (BEFARe).
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2014.