Punjab teachers to protest over govt privatization plan

LAHORE: A coalition of teachers’ unions in Punjab, known as the Grand Teachers Alliance, has announced a massive protest against the government’s plan to outsource public schools.

On September 26, teachers from across the province will gather in Lahore to voice their opposition, followed by a province-wide school shutdown on September 27. In Rawalpindi, schools will be closed from September 24.

This was announced by Grand Teachers Alliance Punjab President Raja Tahir Mehmood, Punjab Teachers Union Rawalpindi district President Qazi Mohammad Imran, Grand Teachers Alliance district president Akhyan Gul, Educators Association Punjab President Malik Amjad, Pensioners Welfare Association President Raja Tariq, Sardar Qasim and others at the Rawalpindi Press Club.

Collectively, they emphasized that they had reached a critical point in their struggle. They reject the government’s plan to privatize schools, which they believe will deprive citizens of their constitutional right to free education.

“We reject the Punjab government’s outsourcing plan as it wants to privatize schools,” said Grand Teachers Alliance Punjab President Raja Tahir Mehmood.

The protesters demand that the government withdraw its privatization plan and fill the over 130,000 vacant positions in educational institutions. They also call for a judicial inquiry into the government’s motives behind the outsourcing plan.

The teachers argue that the government’s decision to privatize schools is a result of its failure to support educators and provide adequate resources.

In addition, they question why the government has not increased the number of public schools and why teachers are being diverted from their core duties to participate in other drives.

Earlier, The Punjab government announced plans to privatize an additional 4,453 government schools in its second phase of privatization.

This move involves transferring control of these schools to private sector companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This comes after the first phase, which saw 5,863 schools handed over to private entities.

As part of its larger privatization strategy, the government aims to transfer a total of 13,219 schools to private management, with the third phase scheduled for September, where another 2,903 schools will be privatized.

The protest is part of a larger movement, with demonstrations already held in Murree and more planned across Punjab until the teachers’ demands are met.