PESHAWAR: The University of Peshawar resounded with chants of protesting students and teachers as the latter boycotted classes to press for their demands regarding Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Model Act 2012 and the former demanded of the faculty members not to waste their time and come back to the classes.

While Peshawar University Teachers Association went on a strike on Monday morning by announcing boycott of the classes, Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association also came out to take part in the protest and announced to boycott classes all over the public sector universities in the province if government did not pay heed to their demands.

“Academic activities would remain suspended from September 26 in all the colleges and universities so the parents should come and take their children home,” said PUTA in a press statement announcing boycott of the classes in Jinnah College for Women, College of Home Economics and University College for Boys.

FAPUASA and PUTA had been demanding of the government to include teachers’ representatives in the ‘statutory committee’ in implementing the KP Universities Model Act 2012 (amended).

Students hold protest against boycott by faculty members

FAPUASA also in a statement demanded similar steps. It said that chancellor should constitute the committee as referred in section 46B of the Act and it should be notified immediately in consultation with FAPUASA provincial chapter.

The committee must have representation from FAPUASA provincial chapter, it said. The government should also consider consultation of FAPUASA provincial chapter in framing the statutes for the universities.

FAPUASA also set next Monday as deadline to the provincial government to take its demands seriously.

The associations of the teachers would continue their protest at provincial level if the government failed to take their demands seriously.

FAPUASA also said that targeting of faculty in various universities including Bacha Khan University, Abdul Wali Khan University, Malakand University and Bannu and Kohat universities should be stopped. It said that terminated teachers of Bacha Khan University must be restored immediately.

While PUTA and FAPUASA boycotted the classes, the students held a protest to match them in their demand for education. The students said that the teachers had a right to protest but they should not waste the time of the students.

The students said that despite teachers’ announcement to boycott classes, they would come to the university to attend classes.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2016