In a bold move against the Punjab government’s plan to outsource educational institutions, the Grand Teachers Alliance, a coalition of teachers’ unions across the province, has announced a province-wide school shutdown starting September 27. Teachers from all divisions will converge on Lahore on September 26 to launch protests with demonstrations continuing until the government meets their demands.
Leaders of the alliance including Grand Teachers Alliance Punjab President Raja Tahir Mehmood, Punjab Teachers Union Rawalpindi District President Qazi Mohammad Imran and other key figures, made the announcement at a press conference held at the Rawalpindi Press Club.
They strongly opposed the government’s plan, describing it as a step toward the privatization of public education which they believe will harm the quality of education and job security for teachers.
Speaking at the press conference, Raja Tahir Mehmood declared that teachers from across Punjab will march in Lahore on September 26 to voice their rejection of the government’s outsourcing plan.
Following the protest, schools will be shut down across the province on September 27 as part of a larger movement to protect public education.
In Rawalpindi, however, the protests will begin earlier. Qazi Mohammad Imran announced that teachers in the Rawalpindi division will close schools starting September 24. “This is a critical moment for educators across the province,” he said. “We have entered a decisive phase and will not back down until the government reverses its decision.”
According to Imran, the issue of privatizing schools is not a new one. He revealed that over the years, around 250 to 300 government schools in Rawalpindi alone have been outsourced, including those in Kahuta, Taxila, and Kotli Sattian.
He emphasized that many schools are already struggling, with over 130,000 teaching positions currently vacant in Punjab’s educational institutions.
Imran expressed disappointment that instead of addressing the shortage of teachers and resources, the government is pushing for privatization. “Rather than supporting educators and filling vacancies, they are choosing to outsource schools, claiming it is due to teachers’ poor performance. This is a failure of the government, not the educators.”
The teachers’ unions argue that the state has a constitutional duty under Article 25A to provide free education to its citizens. Outsourcing schools, they argue, is a violation of this responsibility.
The unions have also called for a judicial inquiry into the government’s motivations behind this decision, questioning why the authorities are focusing on privatization rather than expanding and improving the public education system.
Additionally, the teachers expressed frustration over their involvement in non-educational duties such as dengue and polio campaigns, which, they said, divert them from their primary responsibility of teaching.
They called for the government to focus on increasing the number of schools and filling vacant positions, rather than outsourcing educational institutions.
The protests began in Murree, where teachers held a demonstration in front of the GPO office on The Mall. Punjab Teachers Association General Secretary Raja Shahid Mubarrak confirmed that the protests in the Rawalpindi division have already started and will intensify in the coming days.
As the standoff between the government and the teachers’ unions escalates, all eyes are on the planned protest in Lahore on September 26 and the subsequent school closures.
The outcome of these protests could have a lasting impact on the future of public education in Punjab. Teachers remain firm in their resolve, warning that the protests will continue until their demands are met and the government abandons its plan to privatize education.
