Scores of employees of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) on Tuesday took out a protest rally to press the government not to wrap up NCHD.
The rally which was also attended by a number of working women started from the NCHD head office and culminated at D-Chowk near the Parliament House. Carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands, the protesting workers raised slogans against the government for its decision to dissolve the NCHD which would leave more than 20,000 employees jobless.
“The decision to wrap up the NCHD will adversely affect the goal of raising the literacy rate in the country” and “Save the education future in Pakistan,” read placards. The protesters demanded the government revisit the Council of Common Interests (CCI) decision to dissolve the NCHD, which would render more than 20,000 employees, including 12,000 teachers, jobless.
“The decision to close the NCHD would ruin the future of more than 360,000 students currently pursing their primary education under the NCHD projects,” said Muhammad Iqbal, a protester. The protesters were of the views that due to skyrocketing price hike, the low-income employees were already facing hardships and if the government made the NCHD employees jobless, it would increase their difficulties.