LAHORE: Teachers on Saturday held a sit-in outside the Punjab Assembly against the handing over of public schools to the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) and non-goverment organisations (NGOs).

The sit-in under the banner of the Punjab Teachers Association was going on until the filing of this report and caused a massive traffic jam on adjoining roads of The Mall.

Comprising mostly of women teachers, the demonstrators torched pictures of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Speaking on the occasion, association President Syed Sajjad Kazmi said the teachers community was perturbed over the Punjab government’s anti-teacher policies. He said the government instead of fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to impart quality education to children was shrugging it off by transferring the management to NGOs and the government autonomous body, PEF.

The government was transferring the teachers of schools handed over to NGOs and PEF to far-off places, said another speaker.

Rana Liaquat said the teachers would continue their protest till the government withdraws its decision of handing over the schools to NGOs.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2016