KARACHI, Aug 2: Speakers at a seminar on “Consequences of task force recommendations on public sector education” on Friday rejected the force proposals on higher education, and termed the proposed reforms package a conspiracy of the World Bank and IMF against the ideology of the country.

They said if the recommendations of the task force on higher education were implemented, these would prove disastrous and cause setback to country’s higher education system.

The speakers were of the view that the proposals are “inappropriate” and were prepared shoddily, and it was high time to raise voice against such pseudo reforms.

The seminar was jointly organized by Karachi University Teachers’ Society, Karachi Press Club, Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and other bodies of teachers, parents, journalists and intellectuals at the Karachi Press Club.

The task force, they said, was incompetent to deal with academic issues, particularly the affairs of public sector universities.

They agreed that if the recommendations of the so- called committee were implemented, these could prove disastrous.

Speaking on the occasion, eminent educationist and journalist Prof. Dr. Zakariya Sajid who presided over the seminar, highlighted various aspects of recommendations presented by task force and urged the teachers, students, journalists and people from all walks of life to get united and initiate a joint struggle against, what he said “conspiracy being hatched against common people of the country”.

He said that the proposals of the task force were proving as a controversial document and it was drawing massive opposition, which would not suit even the government, particularly at a time when it was moving towards general elections in the country.

He said that the report was a case of sheer wrong diagnosis and wrong treatment.

“Nowhere in the world, attempts are made to destabilise or weaken the public sector universities”, he said, adding teachers and other concerned should mobilize further on the issue and apprise the government that they have rejected the report.

He opined that only the parliament has the right to make any kind of changes, after reviewing the proposals and recommendations regarding higher education.

Prof Dr Zafar Arif said the higher education report was a downright fraud. “This is the education policy of two fortune hunters, who have seen in the World Bank’s interest in promoting higher education”, he added, while remarking that the report had nothing to do with the standard of higher education in the country.

Prof Shahida Kazi pointed out the flaws in the task force report and said it had suggested commercialisation of higher education.

Prof Reaz Ahsan of SPLA assured the university teachers of full support throughout the country in their move to fight against the controversial higher education policy.

Abrar Hassan Advocate, Prof Arif Kazmi, Shahid Qureshi, Dr Reaz Ahmed, Nargis Rasheed, Zahoor Babar and Sarwar Naseem of KU, TV artist Talat Hussain, student leader Osama bin Shafiq, Prof Tauseef Ahmed, KUTS President Dr Fahimuddin, Rafiq Patel, Jalees Ahmed Qazi, Qamarullah Chaudhary and KPC president Sabihuddin Ghausi also spoke.