PESHAWAR, Dec 11: The Sarhad Technical Teachers Association has voiced concern over the proposed Model Universities Act and demanded of the government not to implement the law so that poor students could get education at the state-run educational institutes.

This was stated by association President Naveed Ahmad while speaking to a group of teachers of Hazara division here on Wednesday.  

He said the proposed ordinance, if implemented, would deprive the poor students of the their basic and constitutional right to get education.

The ordinance was being promulgated at the behest of the World Bank and the IMF who wanted to play havoc with the education of the country, he alleged.

Mr Naveed said that besides the students, the teachers would also suffer a great deal owing to the implementation of the law because they would have to work under the supervision of non-academicians. He termed the ordinance encroachment on the rights of students.

He also expressed anguish over the government’s decision to merge the technical education with the industries department in July 2001 and asked the government to empower the general education staff for taking care the affairs of technical education.

The president said the teachers were not weak and would hold protest demonstrations if the government failed to revoke the decision on the Universities Model Act.

After the merger of technical education, the teachers were still waiting for their promotions from BPS-10 to 14, which, he added, were since long overdue.

He demanded of the government to review the ordinance, and save the teachers and the students from being affected.

IJT opposes: IJThas vowed to continue their struggle till the government withdraws the decision on implementation of the Universities Model Act. This was stated by IJT provincial Nazim, Shahab Hussain in a press  release. He  said  that the student community would leave no stone unturned to prevent its implementation.

Mr Hussain was critical of the proposed Act and said the government was following the dictates of the IMF and the World Bank to privatize the education and close its doors on the poor students.

The Act, he said, would give sweeping powers to the members of the board of governors, who would be entitled to raise fee and terminate the services of teachers by a single stroke of pen.