Daily Times

The province-wide strike of primary school teachers for their demand of upgradation and other incentives entered its fourth consecutive day here on Friday as educational activities at primary schools remained suspended in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The protesting teachers gathered in front of Jinnah Park here said their protest will continue till acceptance of all demands.

On the other hand, the Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued suspension orders of 298 primary school teachers from Karak district who were participating in the protest and remained absent from duty.

The provincial government has also prepared a document under Article 25-A to suspend all those teachers staging protest and not joining their duties. Along with the document, charge sheets and a list of allegations will also be issued to the teachers.

However, President All Primary Teachers Association, Aziz Ullah Khan has said that suspension orders will not bar them from their justful demand of upgradation and other missing incentives.

Aziz Ullah Khan said issuing suspension orders to the protesting teachers was totally unjustified, adding that the KP government has no other option but to accept our demands. He said upgradation for primary school teachers was announced by the former KP Chief Minister, Mahmood Khan but still no further step was taken towards this end.

The protest for the demand of fair wages to primary school teachers, resulted in the unprecedented closure of 26,000 schools in the province. This action affected millions of students, underlining the dire situation within KP’s education system.

In 2014, the PTI government had declared an “Educational Emergency” to revamp schooling in KP. Yet, nearly a decade later, the sector remains in shambles, with schools locked and teachers on strike. The lackluster approach of the KP government towards the teachers’ protest issue also question marks its seriousness for promotion of education in the province.