Non-acceptance of demands: Teachers of primary schools in KP to stage sit-in on Nov 4

PESHAWAR: The teachers of primary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province have once again announced to stage a sit-in on November 5 in the provincial capital to press the government to implement the decision to upgrade them.

On January 17, 2023, the then provincial cabinet had approved upgradation for all cadre teachers, including teachers of the primary schools.According to the cabinet decision, it was to be implemented from July 1, 2023. But despite the passage of nearly two years, the provincial government has not taken any practical step to this effect.

All Primary Teachers Association president Azizullah Khan said that they conducted jirgas of the heads of all political parties during this period and held meetings with all the ministers and parliamentarians of the present government and appealed to them to issue the notification for the upgradation of primary teachers, but to no avail.

He said that in October 2022, primary teachers staged a 5-day sit-in which was participated by thousands of primary teachers.As a result, he said, the Tehreek-e-Insaf government accepted their demand regarding the graduation and then it was passed by the cabinet, but it could not be implemented. Therefore, he said, the primary teachers once again decided to stage a protest for the implementation of the government decision and issuance of notification of primary teacher upgradation.

On October 7, 2024, thousands of primary teachers in every district of the province recorded protests, but the provincial government remained unmoved. Azizullah Khan said that in order to get their genuine demand accepted the primary teachers would now launch another protest sit-in in Peshawar on November 5.

From the date, around 26,000 primary schools across the province will go on complete strike, he added. He urged the provincial government, chief minister, finance minister and other quarters concerned to remove the hurdles in the upgradation notification of primary teachers.

Azizullah Khan claimed that the finance department had submitted wrong figures to the government, which was causing delay in notification regarding their upgradation.He said that they were against protest strikes and preferred talks for resolution of their genuine issues, but the provincial government and the finance minister have forced them to go on strike.