Fata schools reopen as teachers demand accepted

LANDIKOTAL: Thousands of state-run schools in Khyber Agency and the rest of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) reopened after 24-day closure on Saturday, as the federal government issued a notification about upgrading teachers.

Tribal teachers, students and civil society activists welcomed hundreds of teachers on their arrival in Jamrud tehsil from Islamabad. Some people shared sweets and showered rose petals on the teachers.

Around 10,000 teachers from Fata stayed at a protest camp in front of the Parliament House in Islamabad since April 18 to press the federal government to announce their upgradation.

About 2,000 schools, where approximately 30,000 students are receiving education, remained closed for four weeks.

Omer Shinwari, a student of grade-VI, said that he used to come to his school every day but there was no teacher. He said he was glad to know that teachers had ended protest now.

On May 13, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the grant of incentives of higher pay scale and upgradation of posts in the education department of Fata.

A notification issued by the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions said that it had no objection to the upgradation of 20,196 posts in different categories in the education sector of Fata with effect from July 1, 2012.

The notification dated May 13 directed the additional chief secretary Fata “to proceed further in terms of the prime minister’s approval regarding the upgradation in posts in the Fata education without further delay and initiate action for final disposal of the case.”