PESHAWAR: The province-wide protests against the proposed outsourcing of government colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have intensified as teachers and students jointly staged demonstrations, boycotted classes and warned of an escalation if the policy was not withdrawn by October 11, 2025.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Professors, Lecturers and Librarians Association (KPPLLA) had announced an indefinite class boycott and lockdown of all public sector colleges, describing the government’s move to outsource colleges and amend service rules as “illogical, unconstitutional and a threat to public education.”
Following the announcement, hundreds of students in various districts took to the streets in solidarity with their teachers and blocked major highways and disrupted traffic for several hours. Protest rallies were arranged in Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Dera Ismail Khan, Chitral, Swat and other districts where participants raised slogans against the privatisation of education and demanded immediate withdrawal of the outsourcing policy.
“The outsourcing of public colleges is completely unacceptable,” said Prof Husnur Rahman, while addressing protesters at Bacha Khan Chowk in Mardan where protest demonstrations are arranged every day after the announcement. “This move will commercialise higher education and deprive thousands of deserving students of their right to affordable and quality education,” he added.
In Peshawar, the students of Government Science Superior College, Government College Hayatabad and other institutions staged demonstrations and blocked roads at various points of the provincial metropolis.
In a joint statement, KPPLLA president Prof Abdul Hameed Afridi, general secretary Qazi Zafar Iqbal and spokesperson Nasir Ali said that the protest movement had entered a decisive phase with teachers from both male and female colleges having been actively participating in the demonstrations along with students.
They rejected recent social media posts shared from the official pages of some deputy commissioners of various districts. The deputy commissioners of different districts on Tuesday posted messages with exactly the same content stating: “Instigating students and politicising government initiatives for hidden motives, thereby sabotaging efforts to improve quality education in remote areas, is unacceptable and against public interest. It has been observed that few of our principals and faculty members have committed this offence knowingly or unknowingly. While we remain committed to engaging with faculty to address their genuine concerns but we will not tolerate illegal and unethical pressure tactics specially using students and community for their own motives. Let’s work together to enhance education, not hinder progress.”
The college teachers’ representatives termed the DCs’ allegations as “baseless and misleading.” The similarity of all those posts showed that they were not the posts of the district administration, rather conveyed to them by certain hidden quarters. “Teachers and students are peacefully protesting for their legitimate rights and no one has incited them,” Hameed Afridi said.
Prof Afridi criticised the government’s bureaucratic attitude and accused the officials of being unaware of ground realities. “It is easy to issue statements from air-conditioned offices while riding luxury vehicles bought with public money,” he said. “But these bureaucrats should come out and see how their policies are thwarting the education system,” he added.
The association warned that any attempt to weaken the higher education sector or undermine the autonomy of academic institutions would be sternly resisted. They alleged that the outsourcing initiative was part of a broader effort by bureaucratic circles to dismantle public education and reserve quality learning for the privileged few.
“Education is the red line for any society. This struggle is not merely for the rights of teachers, but for the protection of students’ futures and the preservation of a strong and inclusive public education system in the province,” Hameed Afridi argued.
The KPPLLA urged the provincial government to immediately withdraw the controversial outsourcing policy, address the shortage of teaching staff and ensure provision of basic facilities, including furniture, classrooms and laboratories in the government colleges.
Reaffirming their commitment to peaceful protest and dialogue, the association warned that if their demands were not accepted by October 11, they would bring further intensity in the protest drive and class boycott and the government be responsible for the disruption and escalation.
