Teachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have threatened to lock 26,000 public educational institutions on November 5 if their demand of upgrading primary teachers is not met.
There is a delay in upgrading primary school teachers that was approved by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in January 2023, which has yet to be implemented due to a mismatch in financial estimates presented by the Finance Department.
Initially, the educational qualifications for primary school teachers were set at FA and FSc, which were upgraded to BA and BSc; however, the job positions were not adjusted accordingly. Due to this reason, the All Primary Teachers Association has announced plans to shut down schools in the province indefinitely and stage protests if their demands for upgrades are not addressed.
According to sources, the issue of upgrading primary school teachers has become complicated due to government negligence. In 2018, the Education Department revised rules that changed the educational requirements for primary school teachers from FA/FSc to BA/BSc. However, other cadres with the same qualifications were granted initial recruitment grades of 15 or 16, while primary school teachers remained at grade 12.
Currently, there are approximately 50,000 primary school teachers in grade 12, about 20,000 senior primary school teachers in grade 14, and nearly 20,000 head teachers, all of whom have been approved for upgrades to grades 14, 15, and 16.
A committee was formed in 2022 to address the issue of upgrading primary school teachers. The committee presented its report to the then Chief Minister of KPK, recommending a cabinet meeting to finalize the upgrades. On January 17, 2023, the provincial cabinet officially approved the upgrades, but several months later, no action has been taken despite the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party returning to power for a third time in the province. The Finance Department has raised objections, claiming the costs would be excessively high.
Another committee was formed last year, including employees from the Finance Department and other ministries, to assess the financial implications of the upgrades. Their report estimated that upgrading teachers from other cadres would cost around 11.5 billion rupees, with 3.5 billion rupees allocated annually for primary school teacher upgrades. However, the Finance Department disputes these figures and estimates the total cost to be around 28 billion rupees.
In light of these ongoing issues, the All Primary Teachers Association has announced that they will not only hold protests but also lock down 26,000 male and female primary schools indefinitely until their demands are met.
Read more: Ali Amin warns of protests if most senior judge is not named CJ
