Representative image. | Photo credit: AP
In a major development in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, around 1,39,000 primary school teachers have declared a province-wide strike in response to the government’s decision to abandon their proposed upgrade. The Express Stand reported.
According to the report, the All Primary Teachers Association (ATPA) announced plans to take to the streets and close schools on October 7. A meeting was convened on Saturday (September 15, 2024) to discuss the situation, chaired by the association’s president.
During the meeting, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ATPA President Mr. Azizullah presented the action plan. He announced: “We will organize demonstrations outside all press clubs in the province, along with street rallies and school closures.” A sit-in protest will take place on October 7.
Also read: One in four children in Pakistan will have no education by 2030: UNESCO
As a result, more than 25,000 primary schools in the province will be closed, while thousands of primary school teachers “gather in Peshawar for a historic sit-in.
“He also said that all responsibility for the situation would lie with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The General Secretaries and Presidents from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa participated in the General Assembly. Addressing the event, they discussed the action plan and stated that in the first phase they would symbolically close schools. “In the second phase, we will stage a sit-in,” they claimed.
In particular, Pakistan is facing an unprecedented education crisis. As many as 25.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 16 were not attending school, representing 36% of the country’s total school-age population. Express Stand reported. The largest enrollment shortage occurs in rural areas. The report further states that children in the age group of 5 to 9 years are particularly vulnerable: 51% have never been registered. About 50% of children have dropped out or no longer go to school. It added that 53% of children out of school are girls, and “the problem is more serious in rural areas where female literacy is already quite low.”
Published – Sep 16, 2024 4:04 PM IST
