Zubair Qureshi
Female representatives of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPCMA) have held a protest in front of Rawalpindi Press Club against a possible decision by the government regarding closure of educational institutions from today (Monday).
Education ministers of the four provinces are meeting today with Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood in chair to review their earlier decision dated Nov 5 of not closing the schools in the wake of a spike in coronavirus cases.
The meeting is taking place on the recommendation and request of the National Command & Operation Control (NCOC) that has urged a ban on all kinds of gatherings and even requested the provinces to announce winter holidays from this month instead of the last week of December as is usually practised in the country.
In Rawalpindi’s protest, more than 100 school teachers participated in the protest, which was led by their Rawalpindi district president Sakina Taj.
The participants were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the government’s proposed closure of schools due to the surge in Covid-19 cases, claiming that the schools had adopted all safety measures. Speaking on the occasion, Sakina Taj said they could not afford further closure of educational institutions. “Prime Minister Imran Khan should take notice and prevent the closure of educational institutions,” she said. She said political gatherings, processions and meetings should be cancelled and restaurants and parks should be closed. She said that children were safer in educational institutions than on the streets and parks. “The government should not suspend educational activities and smart lockdown,” she added. Taj said they had come today to ask the government to keep the schools open for the sake of the new generation’s education. “In last six months’ closure, teachers stayed at home and children spent the time without education,” she said.
She said that today they were out for education not for their issues. “We have come out to secure the future of children. Please do not play with their future and give them their due. Don’t close the doors of education for them in the name of coronavirus,” she said.
Meanwhile, Private schools and colleges all over the country have rejected any decision to seal the country and constituted a committee with Wafaq-ul-Madaris and civil society representatives as its members to plan a future line of action in case the government announces to close down institutions from today. This was decided in a meeting of the Private Educational Society (PES) that was presided over by the PES president Hafiz Muhammad Basharat and attended by Secretary General Abrar Hussain, Qari Asif, Hamid Awan, Hamza Bilal Biloch and other members.
The meeting discussed in detail the proposed closure of the educational institutions and their strategy in that case. It was decided in the meeting that stakeholders including lawyers, religious and political parties and civil society.
Meanwhile, Malik Abrar Hussain, President of the All Pakistan Private Schools & Colleges Association in a statement expressed his unconditional support to the government in case it decides against closing down schools and colleges. He said already precious five months of hundreds and thousands of students have been wasted and hundreds of teachers of private school had lost their jobs due to the closure of their institutes. If the government once again goes for schools’ closure it will result in irreparable loss to the students’ education, schools’ income and teachers’ financial conditions.
