Pakistan: Students, teachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue protest against outsourcing of colleges

Islamabad, Oct 7 (IANS) The action committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors and Lecturers Association (KPPLA) has vowed to continue its boycott of classes against the provincial government’s decision to outsource the low-enrolled colleges. The committee is also protesting against the proposal to connect the promotion of college teachers to an MPhil degree and research work in their respective subjects, local media reported on Tuesday.

The committee held a meeting chaired by Professor Qazi Zafar Iqbal, which unanimously decided to continue the protest until the higher education department withdraws the decision, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported. The teachers in government colleges were not present in classes after 10 am while students held protest against the decision to outsource the colleges.

During the meeting, it was decided that the local units of the teachers association will hold meetings with the leaders in their areas to inform them regarding the outsourcing of colleges and proposed changes in the service rules for the teachers promotion, wherein education department seeks to set MPhil as qualification as one of the condition for promotion. The teachers will urge the lawmakers to raise this issue at the provincial assembly. The action committee warned that the teachers will expand the protest if the government did not withdraw the decisions.

Meanwhile, the students of Shabqadar Government Degree College in Charsadda held a protest against the outsourcing of the colleges with low enrolment. The students carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the decision urged government to withdraw the decision.

Students of Government Postgraduate College in Swabi blocked the Swabi-Mardan Road for several hours to stage protest against the outsourcing of colleges. Led by Pakhtun Students Federation, protesting students gathered at the institution and marched to Gohati Bus Stop, another leading Pakistani daily 'The Express Tribune' reported.

Similarly, students held protest against provincial government's decision to outsource educational institutions at the College Chowk in Mardan on Monday. During the protest organised by Jamiat Talaba Islam, Mardan chapter, students blocked the main thoroughfare for several hours which caused traffic jam on the road.

While addressing the protests, JTI provincial General Secretary Hafiz Farmanullah criticised the provincial government’s decision to hand over 55 public colleges to the private sector. Calling education a national necessity and a fundamental right of students, he said that it cannot be allowed to be ‘sold’ in the market for ‘business’ and ‘profit.'

--IANS

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