KARACHI: Bodies set up to redress teachers’ grievances: KU syndicate meets
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Sept 14: The KU syndicate, which met amid tight security and teachers’ protest on the campus on Saturday, formed two committees to look into the grievances of teachers and action of forced retirement of a senior teacher by the vice chancellor.
The meeting was attended by 10 members, including chairman UGC, Sindh Secretary education, Justice Shabbir Ahmad. Representatives of the teachers, however, did not participate in the syndicate meeting.
According to sources, the Vice Chancellor informed the syndicate that the order of forced retirement of Dr Pervez Siddiqui had been withdrawn earlier in the day.
Endorsing the withdrawal, the syndicate constituted a committee to look into the matter of Prof Perwaiz Siddiqui, which would submit its report at the earliest.
After a two-and-a-half hours meeting, the university issued a press release, stating that the syndicate considered a single item agenda and constituted a four-member committee in connection with the problems faced by the Karachi University Teachers’ Society.
Talking to Dawn, VC Dr Zafar Saify, who presided over the crucial meeting, said the meeting considered only one item in a comfortable manner. He said that Mr Perwaiz Siddiqui, would continue to hold his existing status till the finalization of syndicate’s committee report.
He could not give any exact date for the restoration of teaching activities on the campus, but viewed that normalcy would prevail surely within a week time.
A syndicate member, said that the overall situation at KU was discussed and it was viewed that peace should be restored on the campus at the earliest.
To ensure transparency and fairness in the university affairs, the VC was urged by a couple of members to take syndicate into confidence before taking any major action but not of emergency in nature.
“Despite the fact that the VC has withdrawn his earlier order in the case of Prof Perwaiz Siddiqui, we want to ensure merit and fair-play, and it was why the members resolved to order an enquiry to look into the charges framed by the administration and report the matter to the syndicate. The committee is supposed to furnish its report within one month.
Another member of the syndicate said that certain administrative officials were criticized for their negative role towards teachers, students and non-teaching staff.
“We also suggested for immediate removal of some of the controversial officials, following which the vice chancellor informed that the registrar and one deputy registrar were being transferred, while another deputy registrar had already been transferred, added the member.
Referring to the proceedings of the syndicate, one member who also visited the KUTS office-bearers, expressed the hope that teachers would move positively towards restoration of academic activities. Teaching should be resumed by Tuesday or Wednesday, he remarked.
A member of the syndicate, Naseer Turabi, who is being criticized for his alleged biased attitude towards teachers came in a rangers jeep for attending the meeting.
On this occasion, the protesting teachers, who had gathered at the main entrance of the university after their general body meeting, once again chanted slogans against the member and said he had been playing in the hands of a retired brigadier.
The teachers did not attend the meeting in protest as a KUTS general body had unanimously decided that the teachers would not attend the meeting at any cost, if the meeting is presided over by the VC, Dr Zafar Saied Saify.
The teachers have been protesting against vice chancellor and other administrative officials for Sept 7 rang-ers action on teachers and students.
They also staged a demonstration at the main entrance to the administration block where the meeting was convened.
Teachers were holding banners, inscribed with “Go VC Go”; “terminate the vice chancellor”, “Major Lodhi and Brig Zamin stop playing politics in KU”.
The teachers said it was strange that till date no one had accepted the responsibility of rangers’ action against students and teachers, while teachers had been left with no option but to protest against the indifferent attitude of the administration.
Later in the evening, the newly-appointed committee of syndicate visited the KUTS leaders at the Department of Mass Communication and deplored the recent development on the campus.
It was maintained by the committee that they would make all-out efforts to make the administration cordial and just towards teachers and employees, but could not move for the removal of the vice chancellor as it was not within the purview of the committee, said sources privy to the teachers and reconcilatory body meeting.
Those who visited the KUTS office-bearers included Syed Yaqoob Zaidi, Shamim Junejo and Dr Tayyaba Mamoon.
When contacted, the KUTS secretary, Sarwar Nasim, said that despite assurances by the syndicate committee, the basic demand of the teachers pertaining to immediate removal of vice chancellor has not been accepted.
The VC, he said, had been failing to run the KU affairs befittingly, while his subordinates in the administration continue to take unjust action against the university population.
He said a KUTS delegation, which had been invited by Brig (retd) Akhtar Zamin, principal secretary to the Sindh governor, would call on the Governor/Chancellor of the university on Monday.
A future line of action would be evolved only after our general body meeting and meeting with the chancellor on Monday, said Mr Sarwar Nasim.
