Khyber - The teachers’ community disapproved of pension reforms and the privatization of government schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during a protest rally held in front of Jamrud press club on Thursday. Organized on the call of the All Government Employees’ Grand Alliance, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the rally was led by the All Teacher Association (ATA) Khyber and the School Officer Association (SOA), attracting a significant number of teachers.
Addressing the gathering, district head of ATA Naseer Shah Afridi, President of SOA Shah Jehan Afridi, and others categorically condemned the government for implementing anti-teachers and anti-government employee policies. They expressed their unity in safeguarding their rights, stating that the federal and provincial governments had targeted government employees, depriving them of their old-age benefits in the name of pension reforms, which they deemed unfair.
The speakers criticized the incumbent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for granting state-run schools to select individuals without following proper procedures under the guise of privatization.
They argued that this practice denied poor children their right to free education. Protest demonstrations have been initiated across the province to compel the government to retract the decisions regarding the privatization of government schools and pension reforms, which they claimed are against the interests of employees and the general public.
Participants carried placards inscribed with slogans against the pension reforms and the privatization of government-run schools. They chanted slogans loudly before dispersing peacefully.