KARACHI: Teachers went on strike Thursday to protest recent government decisions, such as the plan to hire teachers on a contractual basis and appoint bureaucrats to the position of vice chancellor (VC), which completely stopped academic activities at the majority of public-sector universities in the province.
A day earlier, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa) issued the demand for a strike.
Karachi University, Sindh University, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Shah Abdul Latif University, Agricultural University, and Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering and Technology were among the more than 20 public-sector universities that experienced a full strike today, according to Dr. Ikhtiar Ghumro, head of the Fapuasa-Sindh chapter. He went on to say that the teachers would not end their walkout until their demands were fulfilled.
Dr. Ghumro clarified, “We want the government to back universities’ autonomy and remove the proposed amendments from the Universities Act for appointment of VCs and appoint university faculty members on a permanent basis.”
The head of Fapuasa-Sindh said the demonstration will go on until the demands of the teachers are fulfilled.
He claimed that after the teachers’ persistent attempts to get in touch with the secretary of universities and boards and the Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) were unsuccessful, they were forced to go on strike.
“We sent several mails, but there was just no response. Dr. Ghumro stated that teachers would soon decide on the next course of action, adding, “At this time, we are attempting to reach out to other stakeholders and intensify the strike’s impact.”
Returning the administrative power to grant VCs no-objection certificates is one of the demands made by the instructors. At the moment, the universities and boards department has the authority.
Today’s successful strike at KU was led by Dr. Mohsin Ali, the head of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts), who showed the government that the serious problems affecting Sindh’s institutions could no longer be disregarded and showed teachers’ solidarity.
“Universities experiencing severe financial difficulties must receive prompt funding from the government. The HEC must refrain from interfering in academic affairs and respect the autonomy of the universities.
Dr. Ali emphasized that teachers’ fight was to preserve higher education in Sindh and called on political, social, and student organizations as well as media outlets to support his cause. The NED University of Engineering and Technology was one of the universities that hosted classes. The leader of the NED teachers’ organization, Dr. Kamran Zakria, told Dawn that abruptly suspending courses was not feasible.
To raise awareness of the difficulties colleges face and the government’s anti-education actions, he said, “teachers held a meeting and observed a Black Day by wearing black armbands.”
In response to Fapuasa’s call, educators at Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) staged a protest. Teachers viewed the planned modification to designate bureaucrats as VCs as “an attack on autonomy of universities,” according to a statement from Asif Hussain Samo, the head of the SMIU Teachers’ Association.
He called for the immediate retraction of all anti-education and anti-university initiatives on behalf of educators.
In forceful declarations, Islami Jamiat Talba, All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organization, and MQM-Pakistan have criticized the government’s proposal to designate bureaucrats as VCs while offering assistance to educators.