Academic staff to stage sit-in against HEC

ISLAMABAD:Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations has demanded removal of Chairperson, Higher Education Commission, and announced a protest in front of HEC on Aug 24.

Representatives from provincial chapters and Academic Staff Associations from various universities of Pakistan attended the meeting with Dr Sohail Yousaf in the chair. In a statement, FAPUASA strongly condemned the HEC chief and his ‘incompetent team’ for launching policies damaging higher education sector. The Federation urged the government to replace incumbent Dr Tariq Banuri with a competent person to resolve the issues of faculty and further save the higher education sector in Pakistan.

The Federation also announced a protest in front of HEC, on Aug 24 in which the faculty members from all over Pakistan would participate and vowed that struggle will continue until the legitimate demands of faculty are fulfilled.

FAPUASA also resolved to submit reservations on HEC policies to the members of All Parties Conference as well. FAPUASA demanded that the universities should be opened after Eid for research and academic activities.

Sowing disappointment on the attitude of the chairperson, HEC, towards academia, the teachers’ body said that he has “miserably failed to address issues of academia and keep his commitments, multiple times in the past two years.” He and his team failed to resolve the issues of the higher education sector including budget and condition of post-PhD experience for BPS faculty.

It alleged that HEC is using endorsements of promotion cases as a tool for victimisation of faculty. FAPUASA declared the composition of HEC commission unlawful as clause 3 (b) of the Act was repeatedly violated by HEC. FAPUASA demanded that the members of commission should be appointed as per law. FAPUASA rejected new research journals and PhD admission policies of HEC and demanded that FAPUASA must be given representation in policy making at all levels. FAPUASA demanded time scale promotion of BPS faculty members on the analogy of TTS faculty. Federation also demanded lifting of ban on selection boards for BPS faculty in some KP and Sindh universities. It demanded immediate appointments of the Vice Chancellors and Pro VCs in KP universities. It demanded that the VCs should be appointed as per criteria defined in the Act of Universities and no statutory position should be entrusted on ad-hoc basis. FAPUASA demanded restoration of 75% tax rebate for academia and researchers. It also called for restoration of terminated faculty members of International Islamic University, Gomal University, Institute of Space Technology, and all other universities in Pakistan. The Executive Council of FAPUASA resolved that the current cabinet would continue till the COVID-19 situation prevails and the new elections would be conducted as soon as the situation resumes to normal.