KARACHI: Deployment of Rangers at exam centres demanded: Police not trustworthy: SPLA
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, April 29: The Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA) has demanded deployment of Rangers at examination centres, claiming that police had failed in extending the required support in holding examination in a peaceful atmosphere.
Citing the alleged biased attitude and operations on the part of the police, particularly in the face of violence and outside interferences in educational institutions, they declared that teachers did not have trust in police.
Speaking at a press conference here on Friday, SPLA President Prof Manzoor Hussain Chishti, and presidents of the association’s Karachi and Sukkur regions Prof Syed Riaz Ahsan and Prof Muhrram Kulhoro, respectively, expressed concern over the code of conduct brokered by Sindh governor on Thursday night following a meeting between the All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organization (APMSO) and the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), the two student groups indulged in fighting against each other.
They were of the view that the code of conduct and the decision to constitute a committee comprising nominees from the two student organizations for the implementation of the code was not likely to help maintain a peaceful atmosphere in educational institutions in the city as other student groups had been ignored while concluding the agreement.
They observed that teachers and candidates had been left at the mercy of the unruly political activists, who appeared outsiders, during the course of examinations. The external and political influence, they added, had been jeopardising the academic atmosphere in the city and similar situation could be witnessed at colleges in Larkana, Dadu, Jacobabad, etc.
The SPLA leaders also released a list of colleges in Karachi where, according to them, student organizations had set up their offices. “It’s very likely that such activities would be leading to interference in the process of examination.”
In reply to a question, they said that the code of conduct would not help create a congenial academic atmosphere in the city colleges.
“It’s a stop-gap arrangement to ensure peaceful conduct of HSC examinations, but in turn, might pave the way for a visible existence of the two student groups having political patronage. This may allow them to meddle in the day-to-day affairs of the concerned educational institution, which would be contrary to the spirit of undertakings submitted by students at the time of admission that they would not indulge in political activities.
“Unless a joint meeting of all political parties and their student wings, as well as other stake-holders, is held and a commitment for peaceful academic activities is made by them, the desired results cannot be achieved,” they maintained.
The leaders said that a law and order situation at educational institutions had always remained a major source of concern. In this context, they cited the recent killing of a student of the Jinnah College and the Principal of DCET in separate incidents.
The SPLA leaders apprised newsmen of the proceedings of the Thursday meeting of the association’s executive council. “The meeting decided that if the demands put forward by the SPLA are not met by May 10, the SPLA members would disassociate themselves from the HSC annual examinations commencing across Sindh on May 17,” they said.
The SPLA leaders also expressed dissatisfaction over the increase in invigilators’ remuneration.
They observed that the governor’s order for 100 per cent increase in the remuneration of the teachers performing as invigilators in the forthcoming intermediate examinations in Karachi only brought into focus the inequity in the case of the teachers carrying out examination duties in the interior of Sindh. They demanded a uniform increase of 100 percent in the remuneration of teachers and other staff of the colleges for different examination work throughout the province.
