PESHAWAR: The Joint Education Action Committee (JEAC) has threatened to boycott intermediate examinations scheduled for April 20 if government does not withdraw Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Boards of Elementary and Secondary Examinations Act, 2017.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, JEAC chairman Prof Abdul Hameed Afridi said that the act was an attempt to end autonomy of educational boards in the province.

He said that government wanted to accommodate officials of Provincial Management Group (PMG) in education sector in the name of bringing reforms in boards, ignoring the deserving educationists.

JEAC says govt wants to accommodate management group officials in education sector

Prof Afridi said that the move would be resisted as teaching and non-teaching staff of different educational institutions and employees of intermediate and secondary education department were ready to launch protest across the province.

He said that they would start wearing black armbands on Friday (today) in the initial phase, which would continue till April 10. He said that the employees, teachers and lecturers would start demonstrations outside district press clubs across the province on April 12 to build pressure on government to reverse the relevant laws.

“In case, the provincial government does not meet the demand, then we will be left with the only option to boycott duties during the next intermediate examinations scheduled to commence from April 22,” said Prof Afridi.

Flanked by other office-bearers of the committee including Gohar Khan, Younas Sethi, Riaz Akhunzada, Samiullah Khalil, Syed Anas Takreem Kakakhel, Fazlullah Daudzai, Tariq Safi and Umer Farooq, Prof Afridi said that the proposed Act would enable officials of PMG to control educational boards.

“We are compelled to take to streets because this law will not only affect education but also our students,” he said.

Syed Anas Takreem Kakakhel said on the occasion that the proposed law was being implemented without taking the stakeholders and educationists into confidence. He said that the law was limited just to copy-paste as officials of education department were also been kept in dark.

“Although the proposed Act has not been passed by the assembly, yet government has recently appointed an official of PMG as chairman of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Dera Ismail Khan. This is illegal and unlawful. We are opposing it in strong words,” said Mr Kakakhel. He demanded of the government to replace the chairman of the board with an educationist immediately.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2018