HEC accepts teachers’ demands as protest ends

Islamabad : The universities’ teachers protest ended in success after the Higher Education Commission (HEC) accepted their demands and agreed that all issues related to promotion policy for BPS faculty of Public Sector Universities will be resolved by May 15, 2022, said a press release issued by the All Pakistan Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA).

The BPS teachers were pushed to protest for their rights that the HEC is granting to the administration, TTS faculty, and the HEC staff only. This discriminatory policy had created severe seniority issues and sense of deprivation among the faculty of the universities, the press release said.

The HEC has now agreed to improve the draft BPS promotion statutes by March 17, and all issues shall be resolved by May 15, 2022.

A notification in this regard has been issued that is signed by the parties of the APUBTA and the HEC Executive Director, Dr Shaista Sohail, with mediation by Malak Muhammad Umar City Magistrate Islamabad.

A protest was earlier called by the APUBTA against the policies of the commission in Islamabad on Thursday.

The mega protest was observed as the HEC was continuously denying the granted provision of promotion to the BPS teachers, which was not only discriminatory but indeed a severe violation of legitimate fundamental rights. The association had submitted a draft on the request of the HEC last year but its approval was continuously ignored despite more than 20 meetings were held between the association and the HEC officials.

This deprivation and discrimination was ruining the universities and had declined the quality of higher education as HEC was imposing new criteria that was contradicting the previous policies and had imposed the same on in-service employees without their consensus.

The core committee: APUBTA, President Dr Sami ur Rahman, GS Dr Imtiaz Ahmad, Dr M Asif president KP Chapter, Dr Imtiaz Shafiq, Punjab president, Dr Rehana Kausar president AJK chapter, JS Dr Hidayat Ullah, Dr Kamran Zakriya President NED university for APUBTA, VP Dr Hazir Rahman, Mudassar Fida, Dr Batool Ata, Dr Hafsa Jamshed, Dr Rizwan Kokab and others have announced to continue their struggle till the teachers get the rights they deserve.

It is also worth mentioning that a protest was also recorded simultaneously in front of the HEC Regional office Sindh at Karachi on Thursday.