Daily Times

LAHORE: Several groups of Punjab public schoolteachers have united to boycott the Punjab Examination Commission (PEC)’s examination for class 5 and 8 over the government’s policies.

Office bearers of three major alliances of Punjab public school teachers including Grand Teachers Alliance (GTA), United Teacher’s Council (UTC) and All Asatza Alliance Punjab (AAAP) have said that the announcement of boycott is in favour of teachers’ community; therefore, there is no problem in uniting. They, however, admitted that there was a difference of option among alliances over planning and strategy to boycott examinations.

It might be mentioned that the Punjab government in 2016 decided to privatise public sector schools which were performing poor. However, the government also privatised some schools which were performing better or whose results were much better. Similarly, government also handed over the Danish Schools to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which created panic and chaos among teachers of public schools across Punjab.

After the decision of government, different groups of schoolteachers and unions had also held protests against policies of the Punjab government. The Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) Ghulam Mohiuddin Group, Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) Sajjad Kazmi Group, All Asatza Alliance Punjab (AAAP) and many other had held protests last year against the privatisation of schools.

Talking to Daily Times, Rana Liaqat Ali of the Grand Teachers Alliance claimed that his alliance had already ensured full support to the United Teacher’s Council in boycotting the PEC exams, however, he said that no such response from the United Teacher’s Council was received. Replying to a query, Liaqat said that the Grand Teachers Alliance would not support any forceful boycott of examinations, saying if someone is not willing to leave the class or exam then it is his or her right.

He said it was the Grand Teachers Alliance who first announced to boycott the classes, census and examination for class 5 and 8 but the idea was stolen by the United Teacher’s Council, which in its Lahore protest on January 26 announced boycott.

He said all teachers’ groups could unite to build pressure on the Punjab government to stop privatisation of schools and fulfil their longstanding demands.

On the other side, United Teacher’s Council spokesman Kashif Shahzad said that the United Teacher’s Council would not only boycott Punjab Examination Commission exams but “we had also chalked out a strategy for boycotting classes and all other academic activities”.

All Asatza Alliance Punjab central president Sufi Ramzan said that the Punjab Government had failed to fulfil its promises. “We are left with no option but to boycott exams,” he said, adding that boycott of exams was important and necessary for saving the rights of teachers and saving the educational institutions in Punjab.

“We offered this solution much earlier when no one listened to us,” he said, adding that that all groups should participate and no one should step down.