November 20, 2002	Wednesday	Ramazan 14, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: The faculty of the Quaid-i-Azam University will protest against “The Federal Universities Ordinance 2002” in front of the administration block of the university here today (Wednesday).

A meeting of the executive body of the Academic Staff Association (ASA), held the other day on the campus announced to register their concern with the authorities concerned about the ordinance under which seven federal universities were given administrative and financial autonomy. The meeting claimed the ordinance was seriously flawed and prejudicial to the interests of the teachers.

Talking to this reporter, the ASA President Dr Aslam Baig said though they should have taken this action much earlier, due to pre-occupied academic schedule at the varsity, it was delayed to this date.”

The ASA chief said the varsity teachers were concerned about the promulgation of the ordinance, which was uncalled-for. He said the teachers were ready to join the rest of the community in their protest against the ordinance.

He said under the new law, the role of the academic councils, whose membership was exclusively reserved for respective university teachers, had been largely marginalised against the 16-member senate that would work as governing body for the seven universities made independent through the ordinance.

Assistant Prof Jamil Raza of Defence and Strategic Studies was of the view that the military government had embarked upon extensive privatisation including public sector educational institutions at the whims of Bretton Woods institutions, which should be stopped forthwith.

Dean of Social Sciences Prof Ijaz Hussain in one of his columns appeared in an English daily criticised recruitment of teachers under tenure track system offered under the new law. He questioned what was the guarantee that those making contract appointments would not be influenced by extra-academic considerations.