Karim Ullah | Chitral Today
BOONI, Sept 5, 2025: The All Primary Teachers Association (APTA) Upper Chitral strongly condemned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s plan to privatize primary schools across the province, calling it a deliberate attempt to deprive underprivileged children of their right to education.
The association’s president, Tanveer-ul-Haq, along with office-bearers Qari Ahmed Ali, Haider Wali Taj, Shahbaz Khan, Shahid Muhammad, and otherd expressed these concerns during a press conference held in Upper Chitral.
They said the government repeatedly introduces reforms under the pretext of improving education, but these reforms harm the learning opportunities of poor children. Despite the so-called “educational emergency” in effect for several years, the teachers emphasized that education standards have not improved; instead, new problems continue to emerge, revealing the failure of government policies.
APTA President Tanveer-ul-Haq explained that most primary schools in Chitral serve students based on geographical distances rather than population density. Many schools enroll fewer than 30 students. He warned that the government now plans to outsource these schools, which essentially shifts the burden of administrative failure onto teachers and external entities instead of addressing the core issues.
He criticized the government for assigning just two teachers to manage six classes while expecting them to maintain high educational standards, calling it “completely unfair and unreasonable.”
The association’s leaders stressed that insufficient resources, inadequate infrastructure, and weak policy implementation cause the real problems. However, the government continues to blame teachers for these shortcomings. They warned that these policies could eliminate thousands of teaching jobs and further destabilize the already fragile education system.
The teacher leaders highlighted Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan and reminded the government: “The state must provide free and compulsory education to children aged 5 to 16 years.”
They argued that any action against this constitutional mandate constitutes a serious violation of the law.
APTA Upper Chitral announced that their protest movement would start locally in Upper Chitral and gradually expand across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They urged political parties, parents, teachers, and the public to unite and raise their voices against this policy to safeguard the future of coming generations.
During the press conference, Qari Ahmed Ali of the All Government Employees Association (AGEA) strongly opposed the privatization of schools and warned that AGEA would launch full-scale protests if the government did not reconsider its decision.
The speakers also criticized the provincial government for transferring the Principal of Government Degree College Booni and a Physics professor, demanding that the government reverse these decisions immediately as part of their broader call for administrative accountability.