Islamabad Educational Institutions Closed Indefinitely
The Federal Government’s Joint Action Committee, an association of teachers in Islamabad, has announced that from 1st December ( Today) all public schools in the city will be closed indefinitely.
The strike was called to protest against the government’s decision to cede administrative control of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) to the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (MCI).
The federal government recently issued a new ordinance amending the municipal law of the capital of Islamabad in 2015, according to which the appointment of the president of the FDE must take place after consultation with the mayor of Islamabad.
The FDE, which comes under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, takes care of 424 schools and universities in the federal capital.
The federal government’s Joint Action Committee did not like this measure.
Teachers fear that the new regulations will change the situation of employees and pave the way for the privatization of schools.
“From today there will be no more academic activities in any public educational institution and a total boycott of classes is observed,” committee chairman Fazal Maula told media.
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He said the government’s approach is akin to institutional privatization:
This would seriously damage the education system in the capital and increase the risk of political interference in the affairs of educational institutions.
The chairman of the committee also announced a protest from the Islamabad press club in the parliament building. He said staff will hold a sit-in outside the parliament building until the ordinance is withdrawn.
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