Academic activities in Islamabad’s public schools remain suspended as the Teachers Association and the Federal Government have failed to reach an agreement on the Local Government Ordinance, 2021. The teaching and non-teaching staff has reportedly donated in excess of Rs. 1 million to convert their strike into a movement and challenge the ordinance in the court.
The schools reopened on Monday after the winter break but classes have not been resumed due to the ongoing strike by the Federal Government Education Joint Action Committee (FGEJAC).
The Association warned that the protest will continue until the government repeals section 166 of the Ordinance which places the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) schools under the to-be-elected Mayor of Islamabad. The decision to continue the strike was made during a general body meeting of heads of schools in G-7/2 Model School for Boys.
Meanwhile, students who have already undergone huge academic losses due to the pandemic, continue to suffer, with no classes since 1 December 2021.
The teachers said that the Government is adamant to place public schools under the local government, and they are fearful that the new ordinance will change employees’ statuses and pave the way for the privatization of the institutions.
A spokesperson for the Aassociation’s said, “Almost Rs. 20 billion are annually required to run the schools and colleges under the FDE, and the local government would have no capacity to handle the affairs of the institutions”.
