Rally against HEC chairman, Punjab govt

LAHORE:Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) Thursday held a rally at New Campus to protest the policies of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan chairman and Punjab government and not fulfilling the promises made to the academic fraternity.

PUASA President Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, Secretary Javed Sami and faculty members from all departments of Punjab University participated in the rally. The protesters were carrying banners against the HEC chairman and Punjab government. They raised slogans in favour of their demands. The teachers demanded immediate removal of HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri.

Addressing the participants in the rally, PUASA President, who is also FAPUASA Punjab President, Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry said that the incompetent HEC chairman and his team were deliberately bringing down the standard of higher education in Pakistan through wrong policies. He said the HEC team was not solving the problems being faced by the faculty members in the universities and had failed to promote higher education and research culture in Pakistan. He said the HEC chairman did not make any serious effort to convince the government for allocation of appropriate funds for the higher education sector.

He demanded the government restore the 75 per cent rebate given to teachers. He said HEC was attempting unnecessary and alleged illegal interventions in the autonomy of universities. He said the teachers strongly rejected the HEC’s new policies regarding research journals, post-PhD experience for appointment of teachers on BPS, admissions at MPhil and PhD level and any other policy made without consultation of teachers.

Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry said the HEC had also failed to resolve the issues being faced by the BPS and TTS teachers. Criticising Punjab government for not fulfilling its promises as per the agreement, he demanded Punjab government approve ante-date appointment of teachers as per previous practice. He said that FAPUASA must be given representation in every policy making process. He said the FAPUASA would continue its protest campaigns country-wide unless just demands were addressed in a proper manner. He said teachers from all universities would hold a mega protest demonstration outside HEC office in Islamabad on October 21.

directors colleges: The Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab has posted all the nine directors of education (colleges) in Punjab. Dr Muhammad Zia ul Rehman, associate professor of botany, has been posted as director colleges, Lahore Division; Muhammad Ibrahim, associate professor of political science, as director colleges, Bahawalpur division; Sheikh Fayyaz Ahmad, associate professor of English, as director colleges, Dera Ghazi Khan Division; Dr Kalsoom Akhtar, associate professor of botany, as director colleges, Faisalabad, Dr Mukhtar Hussain Shah, associate professor of botany, as director colleges, Gujranwala division; Dr Fareed Shareef Farooqi, associate professor of economics as director colleges, Multan Division; Hafiz Fazalur Rehman, associate professor of English, as director colleges, Rawalpindi; Muhammad Masud Faridi, chief instructor , commerce, as director colleges, Sahiwal Division and Muhammad Ahmad Sial, associate professor of geography , has been posted as director colleges of Sargodha division.