KARACHI: Amid their ongoing province-wide boycott of academic activities, protesting university teachers took to the streets on Wednesday and demanded that the government withdraw its plan to appoint bureaucrats as vice chancellors of public sector universities and a notification regarding hiring of teachers on a contractual basis.

Teachers representing city’s three major universities — NED University of Engineering and Technology, the University of Karachi and Sindh Madressatul Islam University (SMIU) — gathered outside the Silver Jubilee gate of the KU in the morning for a demonstration.

Similar protests were also held at Sindh University and Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro; Agricultural University, Tandojam; Govt College University, Hyderabad; Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana; and the University of Sufism and Modern Sciences, Bhitshah.

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa), Sindh chapter, also decided to continue with the classes’ boycott for another two days i.e. Thursday and Friday.

In Karachi, the protesting teachers blocked the main University Road during their two-hour long protest that culminated at the NED University. They made fiery speeches against the government policies, demanding restoration of universities’ autonomous status.

In Jamshoro, protesting teachers held the provincial government solely responsible for the students’ loss due to their boycott of classes.

“The universities are closed for five days but they have neither bothered to withdraw the controversial proposal nor contacted teachers’ representatives to end the impasse,” Dr Nasrullah Pirzada of Mehran University told the media on the Sindh University campus.

Plan to expand protests

Fapuasa President Dr Ikhtiar Ghumro said that academic associations at various universities would collaborate to organise protests at press clubs in Karachi, Hyderabad and Khairpur.

The association, he pointed out, planned to hold joint press conferences with the leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly and other political parties and MPAs in the coming days to draw attention to the ongoing issues.

In a statement, the association warned that if a bill containing the amendment allowing bureaucrats to serve as vice chancellors is tabled in the Sindh Assembly, Fapuasa will organise protests and press conferences outside the assembly.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2025