The image of a shoe mark on the chest of a teacher’s white shirt has been making rounds on the social and mainstream media networks for the last five days, leading many, if not all, to touch their ears out of penitence and shock to atone obviously for the sin of a policeman. The teachers of at government-run primary schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa walked out their classrooms and closed schools last week to press the government to accept their demands for a substantial raise in their monthly salaries and give them upgradation.
No sooner did they reach outside the KP’s assembly building after marching from different schools in the provincial capital to stage a sit-in there, the police force sprang to action and resorted to intense teargas shelling and baton-charge to disperse the teachers.
The police violence led to create mayhem, during which a policeman stepped on the teacher’s chest when he had probably fallen down. The shoe shod on the teacher’s chest added more fuel to the fire, with colleagues from across the province vowing to continue the boycott till their demands are met.
The image was not only shocking to see but it also portrayed a general mindset of our people and the police force or those moving in the power corridors to treat the builders of the nation’s future with such impunity.
As the protest of teachers has entered its fifth day, no serious effort is seen afoot to address their concerns or meet the demands for which the teachers have taken to the streets.
The shoe imprint on the teacher’s shirt may be washed away, but the entire episode has left an indelible mark on the mind of the entire generation, particularly the school-going children, who see little or no reason behind such a violent police action to disperse the protesting teachers.
The episode raised many an eyebrow. The shoe mark may go away, but, nonetheless, it shows our tendency and collective thought process towards education and educators.
The saner elements in the government should have taken the lead to allay concerns of the teachers and taken the nation’s builders into confidence about their pay raise and other perks, especially after the police action and arrest of teachers. The government should have taken remedial measures on emergency basis to bring the teachers back to the classrooms.
Here, one thing is clear that economic difficulties in the face of rising inflation have eaten up energies of the teachers and all other classes of the society, who can hardly focus on their social responsibilities. The quarters concerned should have come forward to resolve the impasse, resume the educational activities without any more hindrance and save the future of the young generation from being spoiled for the ego of a few.
