College teachers in KP halt protest for three days

PESHAWAR: The teachers of government colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have halted their protest for the time being, resuming classes after nine days.

According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors and Lecturers Association Action Committee Chairperson Jamshed Khan, they held successful talks with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan a day earlier in Islamabad. He added they announced to resume classes for three days starting Wednesday.

However, Jamshed said, they will meet the PTI chairperson again after three days and if their demands are not heard they will resume boycott of classes.

The teachers of government colleges across KP announced their boycott of classes from October 10 to press the government to review its plan of bringing a system of board of governors in colleges, The News reported earlier.

The college teachers have been protesting the proposed plan of formation of board of governors and the idea of financial and administrative autonomy to colleges.

They believe the proposed policy would make education costly for students who come from low-income backgrounds and cannot afford to pay hefty sums in fees. The college teachers are of the opinion that formation of the board of governor is a step towards privatisation of the colleges.

Teachers absent from classes in state-run colleges across KP

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors and Lecturers Association is boycotting classes in protest

They have also presented some other demands to the government, including as one-step promotion on the pattern of university teachers, proper service structure for college teachers and librarians, professional allowance like that given to doctors and others.

The decision to boycott classes was announced after a meeting in Peshawar of the association's members from all the districts of KP.