Muzaffarabad [PoK], January 7 : Even though Pakistan has never laid emphasis on learning and enlightenment, the state of education in the regions that Islamabad has illegally taken over is particularly appalling. There is a serious crisis in the education system in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Despite the pressing need for better facilities, students and employees in the education sector are being kept away from their basic rights. Amid rising inflation, teaching and administrative staff in PoK are demanding their long-overdue salary increases.
"People's lives have become miserable. The biggest department in the region is the education department, whose employees are compelled to organise the majority of protests here. A strong mafia is doing business in the name of education, which is taking advantage of workers. The owners of private schools are retired bureaucrats who have considerable influence within the government," Ishtiaq Mir, a journalist in PoK, said.
The academic staff has appealed to the local and federal governments multiple times, but their demands remain unfulfilled.
Moreover, employees in the education sector have made it clear that the protests will not stop protesting until they are paid the raises to which they are legally entitled.
On the other hand, students in PoK are protesting against unprecedented fee hikes. They allege that the university administration is violating the policy of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) by raising semester fees.
"Lakhs of rupees are collected every 3 or 4 months in the name of semester fees. This is being done here so that poor students cannot get an education. The poor do not have money for livelihood; how can they provide a good education to their children?" Ishtiaq said.
The Pakistani government has refused to listen to the legitimate demands of academic staff and students. Progress in PoK does not align with Islamabad's objectives.
It has transformed PoK's educational institutions into sites of persecution. Notably, Pakistan views education as a threat to its illegal annexation of the areas,fearing that knowledge could empower locals to understand and assert their legal rights.
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