Pakistan- Protest held in Mardan against govt action against private schools
Date
8/17/2020 10:38:16 PM
(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) MARDAN: A massive protest was held outside Mardan Press Club on Monday against the arrest of principals of private schools.
The protesters demanded the government to reopen all the government and private educational institutions and madrassas (religious seminaries) on immediate basis. They were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. The protesters including owners and employees of private educational institutions, parents of students, Political and social activists also chanted slogans against the government.
The protesters also held a rally from College Chowk to Mardan Press Club. A large number of people participated in the protest even during extremely hot weather.
The owners of private schools said raids on their schools and arrests of principals must be stopped and academic year must be restored. They said all the sectors have been reopened after improvement in the coronavirus situation in Pakistan, but the educational institutions are still closed which is beyond their comprehension. They said there is no logic behind keeping the schools shut and wasting precious time of students.
The private schools owners demanded subsidy in gas and electricity bills and payment of pending salaries of teachers from the government exchequer. They said the schools must be reopened immediately with standard operating procedures (SOPs). They said that under the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure free of cost education to every child aged between five to 15 years. However, they said, the government has failed in this respect.
The protesters said the government had made tall claims about promotion of education, but in practice it is keeping the schools shut for so long. They said they would extend the scope of their protest to Peshawar and then Islamabad if their demands were not accepted. They also said that the government must also reopen the government schools and madrassas immediately as children in these educational institutions also deserve proper education.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has endorsed the decisions of NCOC regarding the reopening of schools from September 15 and made it clear that schools violating the government directions will face action.
Views are divided on the reopening of the schools with some political parties, civil society members and activists supporting the schools reopening, while others opposing it.
The government and others who still opine that the schools should remain shut are of the opinion that although the coronavirus is on its way out in Pakistan, but it is not defeated fully and there is likelihood that it can return with even more intensity if precautionary measures were not followed. They say nothing is more important than the safety of children.
MENAFN178202000018911041ID1100652396
--MENAFN178202000018911041ID1100652396-->
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.