By Gul Hamaad Farooqi

CHITRAL (UPPER)  Some thirty female teachers  basic education community schools of Upper Chitral district along with hundreds of male and female students  held a peaceful protest  and walk in favor of their  genuine demands.. They  says  these female teachers teaching in these schools since 1996 under federal government project  but  on June 2021, this project was handed over to the provincial government and the provincial government further handed over  it to another project, Elementary Education Foundation. They  said that there are 1200  Such community Basic schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in which only one  female teacher perform duty and teach to her students up to 5th Class.. There are about 96 such schools in both the districts of upper and lower  Chitral.. They said that the Elementary Education Foundation has shown many schools closed in the previous verification,  despite that  those schools are still open and Children also study there. They said that EEF District program Officer  want to sign an agreement  with  them in which it is written that we can neither raise our voice nor approach the court for our rights, it is completely unfair and our 23 years of service is also not included in it ie not counted. Our salaries have been withheld for the last 16 months due to non-signing of this cruel contract.

Even the young children of these schools had the same slogan that the pen and book should not be taken from our hands. They said that these BECS have been established inside a house in such areas where there is no primary school in its surrounding. And mostly youngest or poor children read in these schools who can not go to far flung schools. 

These female teachers and students  also walked to the DC office and ended their protest after successfully negotiating with the Deputy Commissioner. District Upper Chitral Deputy Commissioner Manzoor Ahmed Afridi assured them after talking to the Additional Secretary Education Department. That their  problem will be solved in two weeks

These teachers  also thanked the Deputy Commissioner for the talks and his assurance for solving their genuine issue. .

These female teachers are demanding from the provincial government to  release their salary of 16 months  and to regularize  their jobs permanent to prevent their long terms services on very less remuneration as well as to save   these schools from clsong ,  as a result hundreds of  poor children would be deprive of their basic right  i.e education.