PESHAWAR: The government was forced to lift the ban on recruitments in the public sector universities as the teaching staff of different universities located at the University Campus here boycotted classes on Thursday and staged protest on the call of Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA).
However, the late decision failed couldn’t stop the teachers from staging the protest. They vowed to continue the two-hour class boycott in the universities across the province to press the government to accept all their demands. A notification issued by the Higher Education Department (HED) stated that the ban on recruitments has been lifted and the universities are allowed to make appointments under the need in line with their budgetary situation. Meanwhile, FAPUASA also held a general body meeting at the Peshawar University Teachers Association Hall with its provincial president Dr Sartaj Alam in the chair.
The meeting took important decisions. The teachers staged protest walk which was well participated. The protesting teachers blocked the main Jamrud Road for some time to press the government for acceptance of their demands. Holding banners and placards, they were chanting slogans against the government and administrations of different universities.
The teachers’ association demanded the government to lift forthwith the ban on recruitments in the public sector universities which they believed was illegal. They termed the ban imposed by the Higher Education Department blatant interference in the affairs of the universities as these are autonomous institutions. “This anti-education step of the government has negated the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s tall claims of promoting quality education in the province and declaring education emergency,” Dr Sartaj Alam said. The teachers’ representatives demanded of the government to take notice of the illegal appointment and extensions given to vice-chancellors, particularly those of the Islamia College University, Peshawar and the Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan and withdraw the decisions forthwith.
They said the government should take notice of the countless appointments made in various universities by the vice-chancellors during the last 10 years and constitute a judicial commission to probe the matter thoroughly to enforce accountability.
The teachers were concerned about the growing financial crisis in different universities and asked the government to take notice of the situation. They threatened to continue the strike and boycott classes till acceptance of their demands. The teachers organized complete boycott of classes at the University of Peshawar and Islamia College University. The administration of the University of Peshawar, on the other hand, urged the teaching staff of the institution to end the boycott and agree to talks to discuss the problems. A press statement issued by the university administration said it had already convened meetings of the university syndicate and academic council wherein all the pressing problems of the teaching fraternity would be resolved.
The students of the university also took to the streets on Thursday. This time they held a protest rally against their teachers for boycotting classes. The protesters criticized the teachers for boycotting classes and said they were wasting the time of the students. The protest rally by the students organized by the Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba was held outside the PUTA Hall where the protesting teachers had already gathered. The campus president of the students organization, Awal Sher Khan, addressed the rally.
