{
  "id": 18078321,
  "title": "Teachers in Peshawar protest ‘abrupt layoffs’ by UNHCR",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/teachers-in-peshawar-protest-abrupt-layoffs-by-unhcr",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-04T05:50:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2041914/teachers-in-peshawar-protest-abrupt-layoffs-by-unhcr"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "PESHAWAR: A protest erupted on Tuesday as hundreds of Pakistani teachers, who had been providing education to Afghan children in refugee camps for decades, were abruptly laid off without financial support. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) dismissed 291 teachers, including 100 men and 191 women, with no prior notice or compensation. The teachers, who have worked in Peshawar, Mardan, Timergara, Nowshera, Swabi, Haripur, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Hangu, Tall, Chakdara, and Jalala Shergarh, demanded relief for their years of service. Tufail Ahmed and Farhana Durrani, representing the male and female teachers respectively, addressed the crowd, stating they had dedicated nearly four decades to educating Afghan children but were dismissed through a single administrative decision. They complained of being deprived of medical allowances, financial benefits, and gratuity. The protesters claimed the sudden termination had plunged many families into severe financial hardship, as they struggled to meet basic expenses. They alleged that the UNHCR office ignored their complaints, closing its doors and threatening protesters with a police-led baton charge. They called on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to intervene and secure relief for the affected teachers and their families.",
  "summary": "PESHAWAR: Hundreds of Pakistani teachers, who provided education to Afghan children in refugee camps for decades, but were laid off without any financial relief, protested here on Tuesday against the ‘abrupt’ layoffs. As many as 291 teachers, who have been providing education to Afghan children under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the past 35 to 40…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}