March 25, 2003	Tuesday	Muharram 21, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

RAWALPINDI, March 24: The teachers of Gordon College held a protest on Monday against the government’s plan to denationalize educational institutions.

The protest call had been given by the Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA). The lecturers and senior professors were carrying banners and raised slogans against privatization.

Speaking to the teachers, the union leaders said after denationalization of F.C. College, Lahore, it was feared that Gordon College could face the same fate. They said the Punjab governor and chief minister had promised that the denationalization notification would be cancelled. But, now once again the issue had been revived and F.C. College, Lahore, was handed over to a member of the American Church, Peter Armacaus, they said. “Our rulers have let us down,” they added.

The union leaders said on the very first day after taking over the institution, the new head announced an increase in students’ fees and relieved all senior teachers of their duties. He also took several steps which were against the interests of the teachers and students.

The union leaders said there were only four colleges for boys in Rawalpindi, and these were not enough to accommodate the growing number of admission-seekers.

Many poor students will be deprived of their right to gain education if Gordon College is privatized, the PPLA local secretary-general, Rauf Ahmad Shah, said. It will also affect the teachers, he added.