Teachers protest against Punjab govt’s education policies

LAHORE: A large number of college teachers blocking The Mall outside Punjab Assembly here Tuesday strongly protested over, what they termed, the Punjab government’s indifferent attitude and anti-teacher and anti-education policies.

The teachers had gathered on the call of Punjab Professors & Lecturers Association (PPLA) which has been demanding implementation of service structure and pay protection of contract and regular college teachers, swift promotion mechanism and five-tier promotion formula in line with one being followed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. They demanded the Punjab government address their genuine concerns. Carrying banners and placards they chanted slogans with the call “to honour teachers, to honour books and to honour colleges.” PPLA leadership, including its Lahore chapter president Prof Tauseef Sadiq also addressed the sit-in participants.

Talking to The News, Prof Tauseef said since there was no serious response from government, the teachers would continue their protest. A good number of female faculty members also joined the sit-in and recorded their resentment against the Punjab government for ignoring the college teachers’ plight. With the main road blocked outside Punjab Assembly, commuters on The Mall and many adjacent roads had to greatly suffer owing to severe traffic mess. A number of policemen were also deployed to provide security to the sit-in participants.

Falak Sher, a trader from the nearby Hall Road market, said the day-to-day protests on The Mall were causing a great loss to the traders and shopkeepers while the government was playing the role of a silent spectator. He said the government had imposed Section 144 but still protests on The Mall were a regular feature badly affecting the economic activities.

Punjab Minister for Higher Education Raja Yasir Humayun did not comment on the PPLA protest when approached by The News. He, however, shared the number of his PRO who quoting the minister said teachers’ demands were right and the government was working on the same. He said the minister had also directed the secretary higher education to resolve the issue at the earliest. The protest continued till filing of this report.