PESHAWAR: A number of female teachers protested outside the Peshawar Press Club Thursday against what they termed forced duties in polio and other vaccination campaigns in the province.
Led by provincial president of All Female Teachers Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nizakat Kulsoom, the protesting teachers were holding placards against forced duties in the polio campaign. They also blocked the busySher Shah Suri Road for a while and then staged sit-in near the Press Club.
They said the government had failed to provide protection to the polio workers and the security forces escorting them in their campaign even in Peshawar district. They added now the government was forcing the female teachers to perform duties in the Sehat Ka Insaf or anti-polio drive.
“The government has compelled us to perform duties in polio vaccination, drive or else get ready for disciplinary actions,” said Nizakat Kulsoom, adding they would not put lives in danger by participating in such campaign, which was not part of their duty.
The speakers said teaching is a respectable profession. Performing duties on the streets and going from home to home during polio campaigns would adversely affect the teaching.The protesters said initially they would start protest movement in the Peshawar district and later extend it to the entire province if the government did not withdraw the decision on their forced induction in polio campaign.
