KARACHI: Teachers boycott academic activities: Grand rally on Sept 5
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Aug 24: Protest rallies and meetings against the Sindh education department were held at various educational institutions including the University of Karachi, while teaching activities remained suspended at government colleges on Thursday.
The speakers addressing these meetings were largely of the view that the Sindh education department’s decision to impose ban on teacher associations’ in the case of government-run schools and colleges was all “whimsical with no legal or moral grounds”.
The meetings, which condemned the severe police action against protesting teachers coming down from all over the province at Karachi on Tuesday, were told that under a decision of the employees’ alliance, another grand rally would be held at Karachi on September 5.
Teachers of the University of Karachi observed a black day on the campus against the police action and arrest of school and college teachers, who were protesting against the ban on their associations.
Teachers wore black arm-bands while performing their academic and other administrative responsibilities during the black day observed on the call of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS).
In the afternoon, the varsity teachers gathered at the Arts lobby and condemned the Sindh education minister and her officials saying that the education department had been taking ill-advised measures which were not conducive for education, teachers and students.
The president of KUTS, Sarwar Nasim, criticised the police action on protesting teachers and demanded action against those responsible for the incident. He also lashed out at the role of the provincial education minister and said that her actions during the last few months were totally anti-teacher, anti-students and anti-education.
Mr Nasim demanded of the Sindh governor, who is also the chancellor of the public sector varsities in the province, to take notice of the educational affairs of the province and order an inquiry as to why teachers were being vicitimised and police force was being used against them.
He assured the school and college teachers of KUTS’s all-out support in their struggle for the nullification of the education department’s notification pertaining to a ban on associations and announced that the matter would also be placed before the central body of the university teachers of Pakistan.
Prof Riaz Ahsan, president, Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA), said that measures against teachers were being taken as authorities had got some hidden agenda as well. However, irrespective of the victimisation and unfavourable conditions teachers would continue their movement for their due rights and acceptance of demands pertaining to the overall betterment of the educational affairs in the province.
He informed the gathering that another sit-in and a march to the Chief Minister’s House by teachers would be held on September 5.
The vice-president of All Pakistan Professors and Lecturers’ Association, Prof Manzoor Chishti, said that police action of Tuesday against teachers was without any rhyme or reason. Teachers were taken as “terrorists” despite the fact that they remained peaceful throughout their proceedings on Tuesday, he added and informed that teachers of Punjab had also expressed solidarity with Sindh’ teachers and would go on protest from August 28 onwards, while a meeting of the all Pakistan body of college teachers was also due on September 4 on the issue of Sindh teachers problem.
KUTS Secretary Dr Aqeel Ahmed also spoke on the occasion. Later, the protesting varsity teachers belonging to all factions marched from the KU’s Arts lobby to the post office crossing on the campus and terminated near the administration building.
Teaching in many of the colleges remained suspended on Thursday in response to a SPLA’s call to observe black day, while teachers held meetings at some places and criticised the authorities for depriving them of constitutional right. The issuance of “forced leave letters” to about 34 teachers till the August 22 police action was also considered by speakers who were of the view that the education department did not get any proper and valid tools for any such summary action.
Commenting on the overall situation at colleges on Thursday, a senior academician said that in a situation when the first year admissions at colleges were yet to be finalised and second-year students were failing to report in any significant number for teaching both the protesting teachers and administration people were in a comfortable position as far as their claims regarding “success or failures” of strike or protest campaign were concerned.
Meanwhile, All Private Schools Management Association Sindh (APSMAS) has also criticised the government for police torture and use of state organs against teachers, saying that freedom of expression was the right of every citizen and the government departments should ensure debate and consensus on controversial and sensitive issues prior to taking any policy measure.
Syed Kahlid Shah, chairman of APSMAS demanded of the higher authorities order for an inquiry into the gory incident of the use of force against teachers.
