Thousands of employees of the National Education Foundation (NEF) and teachers affiliated with the Basic Education Community Schools Project (BECS) on Monday staged a sit-in infront of Parliament House against the proposed abolishment of NEF and closing of BECS. Around 5,000 protesters consisting of a large number of female teachers blocked Express Chowk for all kinds of traffic. Despite the scorching heat, protesters gathered and urged the government to revisit the Council of Common interest’s (CCI) decision to dissolve the NEF/BECS, which would deprive around 600,000 students of their basic right of education and would leave over 15,000 teachers jobless. “We will not call off Dharna till our due demands get fulfilled,” said Bushra Rehman, a BECS teacher who came from Azad Kashmir to participate in the ‘Dharna’.
After the passage of 18th amendment, it was decided that NEF and BESC would be devolved to provinces but provinces declined to take the responsibility and the government had to close all community schools. Carrying placards, protesters raised slogans against the government for its decision to wrap up NEF/BECS. “The un-wise decision to close community schools will adversely affect the goal of increasing literacy in the country,” read a placard.
Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah also visited the protest venue and tried to convince protesters for calling off their strike, but to no avail. “You are our people. PPP government has been thinking about your future and I will discuss the matter with the president of Pakistan,” Khurshid Shah said. He assured protesters that BECS would not be closed. However, protesting teachers refused to call off their strike till the written guarantee.
After closing of NEF and BECS, around 600,000 students will be deprived of their basic right of getting education and 15000 teachers would be terminated. Representatives of protesting employees also held a press conference at National Press Club and demanded of the government not to abolish NEF and BECS for the sake of future of new generation as currently more than 6 Lakh dropped students were pursing their primary education in around 6000 community schools.
“Article 25-A and 37-B declare basic education as a fundamental right of every citizen and closing of NEF schools would amount to deprive people of their right,” said Deputy Director of NEF Sadia Atta Ghumman. She pointed out that the project was providing education to children at the cheapest rate than government schools.