The Department of Education has taken disciplinary action by suspending the presidents and secretaries of the Punjab Teachers Union and Educators Association. Additionally, show-cause notices have been issued to the presidents and general secretaries of both associations.
Legal proceedings have been initiated against key figures, including Qazi Imran, Malik Amjad, Akhyan Gul, Raja Taimoor Akhtar, and others.
In response to these measures, teachers launched a protest today by locking down schools across Punjab. The strike has brought the teaching system in all government schools to a standstill.
The Chief Executive of the Education Authority has issued a stern warning, urging teachers to immediately end the strike and return to their duties. However, teachers’ organizations remain defiant, stating that they will not accept the government’s plans for the privatization of schools. They have called for a meeting of the Grand Teachers Alliance to discuss a new strategy for escalating their protests.
The privatization initiative is part of a larger strategy by the Punjab government, which aims to eventually transfer the management of 13,219 schools to private entities. The third phase of this plan, set for early September, involves the privatization of an additional 2,903 schools. Upon completion, the number of government-run schools in Punjab will be significantly reduced, leaving only 35,000 under direct public management.
Looking ahead, the government plans to privatize another 15,000 schools by 2025. Despite strong opposition from teachers’ unions, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has staunchly defended the privatization efforts, arguing that it will improve the education system by enhancing school infrastructure and boosting academic performance.
However, teachers’ unions contend that privatization will degrade the quality of education and jeopardize job security for educators. The ongoing dispute comes amid a record-low admission rate during the first phase of the government’s admission drive, which ran from February to May 31. The second phase, which began after the summer break on August 15, has also shown similarly disappointing results so far.
