KARACHI: Strike by Urdu varsity teachers termed undue
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, June 10: The administration of the Federal Urdu University for Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) on Friday said the ongoing protest and strike by the teachers at its Baba-i-Urdu Campus was absolutely uncalled for, as “it had already promoted many of the teachers by using all possible discretionary powers and relaxations”.
According to a varsity press release, the administration hopes that teachers would immediately call off their strike and return to duties in the larger interests of the university.
However, it has been clarified by the administration that there does not arise any question of designating any of the teachers in question as associate professor, by ignoring the existing code of service and government order.
The teachers of the FUUAST, Baba-i-Urdu Campus, had started a daily two-hour token strike from June 7 and threatened to launch a complete strike, if all teachers were not granted the status of university teacher and related entitlements.
The varsity administration claimed that a total of 151 teachers belonging to the former Urdu Arts and Science colleges, now constituent units of the FUUAST, had been promoted to next grades.
After proceedings of the varsity’s selection board, and in line with the university code approved in 2004, teachers were promoted from grade 17 to 18 and from 18 to 19.
The varsity also decided to award designations of assistant professor to 33 teachers who had been promoted to grade 18. While a decision was also made to conditionally award designations of assistant professors to the remaining teachers promoted to grade 18 provided they acquired MPhil or PhD degrees in a later course of time.
In the case of old grade-18 teachers, it was said that the administration had decided to promote 18 of them to grade 19. These teachers would be entitled to draw salaries and related benefits of their new grades, but would not be offered the post of ‘associate professors’ in the light of available rules, under any circumstances.
Neither is the administration authorised to do so under rules, nor does the HEC order (4-7/CHR/HEC/04/2004) of August 24, 2004 permit it to call the teachers in question as associate professors, included the FUUAST release.
In the given situation, as many as 18 teachers have been affected. And, it should be kept in mind that rules of service for university teachers cannot be changed all of a sudden by the administration. Only the varsity senate can take up such issues.
What the administration, however, can do is that after developing an understanding with the teachers, it can formulate some recommendations for onward passage, added the press release.
It said that the teachers should call off their strike and resume duties, and if they desired, could also hold peaceful and meaningful negotiations with the administration in connection with changes in service rules and related government orders, as required by them.
Meanwhile, teachers of the Baba-i-Urdu Campus continued their token hunger strike on Friday as well, in line with a decision of the varsity’s ‘Anjuman-i-Asatiza’.
At a protest meeting held on the campus, it was said that the administration was trying to divide teachers of the university by different means.
A press release said that the FUUAST Ordinance 2002 had given all protection to the rights and privileges of teachers existing since before the creation of the varsity, which could not be denied at any stage.
Teachers of the campus were united and would frustrate all attempts of the varsity administration, added the press release of the teachers’ body.
The meeting further decided that the duration of the hunger strike would be extended from two to six hours from Saturday onwards.
