LAKKI MARWAT: The college teachers have rejected the government’s plan to grant autonomy to public sector colleges declaring the proposed move a step towards the privatisation of educational institutions.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa College Teachers Association held separate meetings on the premises of Government Postgraduate College in Lakki City and Government Degree College in Ghaznikhel on Thursday.

Professor Abdul Qayyum and Professor Irfanullah Khan presided over the meetings in Lakki and Ghaznikhel respectively.

Besides the association’s office-bearers, scores of college teachers were also in attendance.

Say plan a step towards privatisation of educational institutions

On the occasion, the PCTA leaders said the college teachers were concerned about the government’s plan to grant autonomy to the public sector colleges and manage these educational institutions through independent boards.

They said the autonomous status for colleges was unacceptable to them and that the college teachers would resist if the government tried to execute the plan.

The PCTA teachers said the granting of autonomy was tantamount to privatising colleges and that the plan would deny education to poor students. They warned if the government didn’t abandon the plan, teachers would protest.

They said that a case had been registered against the killers under relevant section of law and investigation was started.

RELOCATION OF OFFICES DEMANDED: The local government representatives on Thursday demanded the relocation of the offices of the agriculture department and organisation working under it to the District Headquarters Complex Tajazai from Lakki city.

During a meeting in Tajazai, village council nazim Mohammad Shahab Khan and All Kissan Councillors Ittehad Mohammad Usman said the DHQ Complex Tajazai had a large building of model farm services centre to provide all sorts of facilities to farmers under one roof.

They said the offices of the deputy commissioner and other government departments were also located in Tajazai Complex.

The speakers said the local authorities of agriculture and other component departments including one dealing with livestock and water management were reluctant to shift their offices to the District Headquarters Complex. They regretted the model farm service centres were not being used for the wellbeing of farmers. The speakers said the shifting of offices to the model farm services centre would help address problems of peasants.

MAN KILLED: Gunmen killed a man in Tajori town on Thursday. The police said Fahad Zaman and Tahir Zaman had allegedly shot down Sanaullah near the post office building and escaped. They said the search for the suspects had been begun but none of them was arrested.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2016