Uproar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the government accused of turning education into a business

Protests erupted across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 7 as teachers and students reacted strongly to the provincial government’s plan to outsource under-enrolled colleges and link promotions for college lecturers to MPhil degrees and research work, reports 24brussels.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors and Lecturers Association (KPPLA) convened a meeting led by Prof Qazi Zafar Iqbal, where members unanimously resolved to maintain their partial class boycott until the Higher Education Department revokes these controversial policies. In the course of the protest, public college teachers suspended classes after 10 a.m., while students engaged in demonstrations across multiple districts.

The KPPLA action committee announced plans for a press conference to outline their future strategy and urged local representatives to engage with lawmakers regarding the negative consequences of outsourcing educational institutions and the newly proposed service rules mandating an MPhil degree for promotions. The educators called on elected officials to raise these issues in the provincial assembly.

The committee warned of an escalation in protests if the government does not reverse its decisions. Demonstrations were also reported in Charsadda, Swabi, Mardan, and Mohmand districts. In Charsadda, students from the Government Degree College, Shabqadar, blocked roads while carrying placards protesting the “privatization of education,” arguing that these changes would render higher education inaccessible to economically disadvantaged students.

In Swabi, hundreds of students from the Government Postgraduate College, led by the Pakhtun Students Federation, obstructed the Swabi-Mardan Road for several hours until police intervened, assuring them that their concerns would be communicated to higher officials. Meanwhile, in Mardan, the Jamiat Talaba Islam organized protests at College Chowk, condemning the provincial government’s decision to transfer control of 55 colleges to private entities. Protesters claimed that education should be regarded as a fundamental right rather than a commercial commodity.

In Mohmand District, students blocked the Peshawar-Bajaur Highway to demonstrate against the cancellation of the BS programme, threatening a district-wide agitation if their demands remain unmet.