Private schools in Swat postpone protest after talks

MINGORA: The Private Schools Management Association Swat on Monday postponed its protest after successful negotiations with the district administration.

At a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Swat Saqib Raza Aslam at his office, office-bearers of the association headed by its president Ahmad Shah agreed that the issue of the schools reopening would be solved at the earliest. It was agreed at the meeting that a delegation of the association would hold a meeting with the chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the next few days. It was also agreed that the district administration would withdraw cases against the office-bearers and academic staff and would unseal the schools in the district. The private schools owners assured the district administration of their cooperation. Earlier, the Private Schools Management Association held a protest rally at the Nishat Chowk in Mingora city.

Hundreds of teachers and students of private schools participated in the rally. The rally was also addressed by leaders of various political parties, and members of traders union, including Shah Dawran, Muhammad Amin, Irfan Chattan, Ijaz Khan, Irshad Ali and Dr Khalid Mahmood. They chanted slogans against the provincial government and district administration.

“It is strange that all sectors including tourism, trade and cinemas are open except educational institutes,” said Ahmad Shah, president of the association. He asked the government to allow private schools to operate. Muhammad Farooq, principal of a private school, said that more than 10,000 teachers had been rendered jobless since the outbreak of the pandemic. He urged the authorities to allow educational institutes to function at the earliest. The protesters asked the authorities to withdraw cases against the teachers. They said that they would continue their struggle till the reopening of schools.