Teachers and students staged protests in several cities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on last Sunday against the government’s decision to privatize public schools and colleges in the province.
According to details, the KP government has forwarded a summary to privatize 1,500 schools and 55 colleges across the province, a move that has sparked strong reactions from both teachers and students. Most of these institutions are located in the home districts of former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Governor Faisal Karim Kundi.
In Dera Ismail Khan, protesters blocked roads to voice their anger. Speaking to The Student Herald, one student said, “We were holding a peaceful protest, but the local forces, including the Army, FC, and police, behaved in an unbearable manner. We will never let our voices be silenced. Our resistance will continue until our demands are met.”
Eqbal Khan, Secretary General of the Progressive Students Collective, criticized the move, saying, “The recent privatization drive targeting schools and colleges in both KP and Punjab is part of the government’s so-called austerity measures, while the elite of this country continue to enjoy subsidies worth billions of dollars. This decision will deepen the class divide, as quality education is already inaccessible to most citizens. Now, the state is making even basic education harder to obtain.”
By and large, protesters have vowed to continue their demonstrations until the government withdraws its privatization plan.
