Female teachers win three key KUTS positions

After a gap of 18 years, the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) on Friday elected three female candidates to key positions, electing Prof Anila Amber Malik its president, and Dr Solaha Rahman and Dr Uzma Ashiq its joint sectaries.

The society represents faculties and their associations working for the rights of the teachers at the varsity. This is for the second time in the KUTS history that a woman president will lead the organisation.

The KUTS annual elections 2018-19 were held on Friday morning at the varsity’s Arts Lobby. Two major associations of teachers, the Karachi University Teachers Forum (KUTF) and the Teachers’ Alliance for Good Governance (TAGG), contested the elections.

According to the results, KUTF nominee Prof Anila Amber Malik got elected as president. She secured 330 votes. Her opponent and TAGG candidate, Prof Dr Shah Ali-ul-Qadar, managed to get 272 votes. Similarly, for the position of joint secretaries, KUTF candidates Dr Solaha Rahman and Dr. Uzma Ashiq got elected by securing 380 and 314 votes respectively.

For other positions, KUTF candidate Prof Dr SM Taha bagged 351 ballots for the position of vice president, and TAGG candidate Dr Maqsood Ali Ansari polled 260 votes for the same position. For the office of secretary, KUTF contender Ghufran Alam secured 328 votes, and TAGG candidate Dr Mohsin Ali got 277 votes.

However, TAGG candidate Dr. Muhammad Ali managed to get 313 votes for the position of treasurer, defeating KUTF representative Prof Dr. Mudassir Uddin, who secured 285 votes. Karachi University vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan congratulated the newly elected president and other office-bearers of the society.

After winning the position, Prof Anila Amber Malik told The News that the KUTS was basically working as a bridge the varsity’s top administrators and faculties. “I will prefer to resolve all the issues faced by the teachers for the last many years, according to the university codebook.”

“It is not for the first time that the KUTS has elected a female president,” said former KUTS president Dr Shakeel Farooqi. He pointed out that Prof Dr Rashida Qasim, wife of Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, who is a former vice- chancellor of the KU, had been elected KUTS vice-president in 1999 and president in 2000.

Likewise, Prof Dr Shahana Urooj was elected as KUTS secretary for two consecutive years in 1996-97, while Prof Dr Zahida Maqsood was elected as KUTS vice-president in 2004.