October 25, 2008	Saturday	Shawwal 25, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 24: The Karachi University wore a deserted look on Friday morning after suspension of academic and administrative activities a day earlier on account of protests by students and non-teaching staff. The evening classes, however, were held.

A majority of the students couldn’t reach the institution for morning classes as the university buses didn’t ply. However, a few classes were held. There was no provocation from the Student Alliance, a union of various students’ groups mostly backed by political parties, which claimed to continue the protest on Friday against the university’s admission policy.

A show-cause notice was issued on Thursday evening to a student of the political science department who allegedly led a group of students and manhandled a non-teaching staffer in the enrolment section on Wednesday. The employees’ union suspended their activities in protest against the incident on Thursday.

Talking to Dawn, KU media adviser Professor (Dr) Tanvir Khalid said: “The show-cause notice has been issued. And student is required to explain in writing, though he can be called later if necessary. I have not received in writing the complaint regarding an alleged verbal abuse of a woman teacher at the department of applied chemistry and came to know about the incident only through the papers.”

About the procedure of registering complaints of misconduct and taking subsequent necessary action, she said a complaint must be made in writing with specific details of the offender.

“The university is unable to take any action if the person has not been identified. The name or names must be there in the application,” she said, adding that there could be no investigation until the culprit was identified by the complainant.

In reply to the question whether any agreement was reached in the meetings with Student Alliance members, she said: “Talks have been held with students and they have been told about the university’s rules and regulations which they agreed to follow at the time of their admission to university.”

According to Assistant Professor Zulqarnain Shadab, the head of the KU’s transport committee, non-teaching staff had refused to run points in protest against Wednesday’s incident.

“There was no restriction from the administration. The employees’ union had already decided not to run buses on Friday,” he said, adding that around 27 buses were daily operated to pick up and drop students.

Farid Mohammad, the general secretary of the KU’s employees union, however, expressed ignorance over the matter and suspected that the administration, fearing damage to KU buses in view of Friday’s strike in the city, didn’t run buses.

About the union members’ meetings with the administration, he said: “We have been assured that a show-cause notice will be issued to the student who had beaten up the employees and his companions will also be taken to task.”

Meanwhile, KU registrar Professor M. Raees Alvi addressed a large gathering of non-teaching staff at the university and assured them of the administration’s willingness in taking prompt action against any offending students.

BS admissions

Admissions to the four-year bachelor’s programme (BS) will begin at KU on Oct 29.

The university will be holding pre-entry tests in nine arts and science departments.

These are applied physics, biotechnology, computer science, environmental studies, visual studies, chemical engineering, business administration, public administration, and commerce.

Explaining the justification for pre-entry tests in these departments, Dr Saleem Shehzad, the director of the admission committee, said: “These are all professional programmmes and when these departments were set up the faculty concerned expressed the need for holding aptitude tests. Since that time, pre-entry tests are being held in these departments every year.”