KARACHI: Conversion of KU deptts into institutes criticized
KARACHI, March 30: The general body of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) on Thursday demanded of the KU administration to stop conversion of teaching departments into institutes forthwith and called for reviewing statutes of previously established institutes.
The meeting presided over by KUTS President Sarwar Nasim, termed the up gradation of teaching departments into institutes as establishment of Rajwaras (princely states) in the varsity and observed that the KU would loose its financial and administrative control over such institutes.
Some KUTS members termed formation of institutes as a bid to grab precious land of the varsity and further demanded of the KU administration to inform how much land of the KU had been given to private parties, NGOs and donors for the establishment of such institutes.
They observed that institutes were established as offshoots of teaching departments but the teaching departments remain in place and added that the teachers had no reservation on the up gradation of departments.
They were of the view that the teaching departments could be named after persons or foundations providing funds for the construction of buildings for them but they should not be given the authority to establish autonomous or semi-autonomous institutes in place of the existing teaching departments.
The KUTS general body also held a heated debate on selection of teachers at the varsity through selection boards and resolved that the selection criteria should be made transparent with no possibility of any discrepancy regarding influence from outside.
A unanimously adopted resolution of the KUTS said that varsity teachers should be given priority in selection of teachers on the basis of their experience, PhD enrolment and research work etc. The resolution demanded that reported discrepancies if any in the selection of teachers for different departments should be checked and removed.
It further said the merit criteria for recruitment of teachers should be clarified and followed strictly as per the University Act, not on the directives of the Higher Education Commission.
The KUTS general body meeting also condemned the interference of the HEC into the affairs of the public sector varsities and its blackmailing attitude and called for taking decisions after consulting statutory bodies of the varsities.
The meeting also debated on the re-hiring of retired professors by the HEC and their placement at various KU departments without seeking consent of the faculty.
It demanded of the KU administration to seek services of retired teachers as per its own requirements instead of accommodating retired teachers hired by the HEC.
The meeting also discussed the issue of growing incidents of thefts, armed robberies and dacoities at the campus and called for improving security at the varsity campus, on which Campus Security Officer Khalid Iraqi said that the situation was the same in Karachi and the KU could not remain isolated from the rest of the city.
Some KUTS members also pointed use of recreational facilities by the Rangers officials deployed at the varsity and their children and complained that during the time, when the squash and tennis courts were being used by the families of Rangers personnel, the KU teachers were not even allowed to go near those areas.
The meeting urged the Sindh governor, also the chancellor of the public sector varsities of Sindh, to immediately announce a residential scheme for KU teachers as majority of them were still homeless and had no permanent residence in the city.—PPI
