291 teachers at Afghan refugee camp schools protest UNHCR layoffs in Peshawar

Teachers who have taught Afghan refugee children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for decades protested in Peshawar on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, against what they called abrupt layoffs by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, Dawn reported.

The numbers

• 291 teachers were let go, 191 women and 100 men.
• The dismissals took effect on 31 October 2026.
• They taught in schools set up in Afghan refugee camps under UNHCR for 35 to 40 years.

The teachers say they received no prior notice and no financial package, and that over the years they were denied medical allowance, other benefits and gratuity.

Who came and where from

Protesters travelled to Peshawar from across the province: Peshawar, Mardan, Timergara, Nowshera, Swabi, Haripur, Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Hangu, Tall, Chakdara and Jalala Shergarh.

The protest was led by Tufail Ahmed. Farhana Durrani, who heads the women teachers, said she had taught Afghan children for 35 years.

The teachers said officials would not hear them, that the office closed its doors, and that police were deployed and warned of a possible baton charge. Dawn did not report a response from UNHCR.

What they want

• Compensation and financial relief that reflects decades of service.
• The benefits they say they were denied, including gratuity.
• Intervention by KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, whom they appealed to directly.

Why it matters in KP

The refugee camp schools have taught Afghan children in the province for four decades, and the teachers' protest spans almost every division of KP.

Workers who lose a job after long service in Pakistan are usually owed gratuity under their contract or the law that covers their employer. Our gratuity calculator shows how it is worked out from last salary and years of service, and the EOBI calculator covers old-age pension for those who were registered.

We will update this story if UNHCR or the provincial government responds.