Gilgit (Staff Reporter) — Teaching activities remained suspended for a second consecutive day across all districts of Gilgit-Baltistan as elementary school teachers staged protests outside the district education offices, demanding long-overdue service upgrades.
Hundreds of teachers from various districts, including Gilgit, Diamer, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, and Hunza, converged at the Directorate of Education in Gilgit to participate in an ongoing sit-in demonstration. The protesting educators are calling for the immediate promotion of B.Ed-qualified teachers to Basic Pay Scale (BPS) Grade 16, a demand they say has been repeatedly ignored by the regional government.
The strike, organized under the banner of the Teachers’ Coordination Committee, led to a complete boycott of classes in public schools throughout the region. Teachers expressed frustration over what they described as the government’s “delaying tactics,” accusing authorities of deliberately stalling implementation of court orders.
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According to the protesters, the Chief Court of Gilgit-Baltistan has already issued clear instructions directing the government to grant eligible teachers their rightful pay scales. However, the teachers claim that preferential treatment continues to be given to select individuals, while thousands of qualified educators remain deprived of their lawful entitlements.
The Coordination Committee revealed that the government was given a seven-day ultimatum on September 13, 2024, to comply with the court’s orders. Despite the deadline passing, no concrete action has been taken, they said.
In a parallel development, the Gilgit-Baltistan Teachers Association (GBTA) held an emergency meeting chaired by its General Secretary, Sartaj Ali, at the Directorate of Education. The meeting, attended by district-level presidents and representatives, reviewed various protest strategies and reiterated the demand for immediate resolution of the issue.
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The GBTA leadership criticized the persistent delays in addressing what they described as a legitimate demand, calling it a serious governance failure. They urged the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Secretary of Education, and other senior officials to urgently address the growing unrest within the teaching community.
The meeting also emphasized the need to hold accountable those responsible for prolonging the crisis, suggesting legal proceedings against the officials allegedly involved in obstructing justice.
The protesting teachers have warned that if their demands are not met promptly, the movement will escalate from district-level protests to a region-wide campaign across Gilgit-Baltistan.
Gilgit-Baltistan, administered by Pakistan, remains a region of strategic and political complexity, and the mounting grievances of its educators reflect deeper systemic challenges in governance and public sector management.
