SAHIWAL: Members of the Punjab Professors and Lectures Association’s (PPLA) central and divisional bodies in Sahiwal, Bahawalpur and Layyah continued their token protest of conducting classes wearing black armbands and boycotting classes from 11am to 12 noon.

They also announced a sit-in outside the Civil Secretariat in Lahore on Nov 29 if their demands were not met.

The association blamed the Higher Education Department’s alleged lack of commitment in resolving college teachers’ problems and using delaying tactics to implement demands agreed upon.

This was stated by PPLA provincial president Hafiz Abdul Khaliq Nadeem while addressing a divisional general council consultative meeting in Sahiwal at the Government Postgraduate College on Wednesday.

More than 80 representatives and office-bearers of 27 colleges of the division attended the meeting.

Nadeem claimed a government committee had met 15 times between December 2016 and October 2017 and come up with a final draft about PPLA’s 10-point ‘charter of demands’, including one-step upgrade, four-tier promotion with time scale, change of ratio in four-tier formula, delegation of administrative powers to divisional headquarters, pay protection and regularisation of employees hired on contract in 2009, 2012 and 2005 and awarding of PhD scholarships to college teachers.

“Three months have passed but no one is presenting the draft to the chief secretary and the chief minister,” he said.

The PPLA central executive council and divisional leadership have decided to stage a demonstration in Lahore. On Nov 29, each president and general secretary of 560 colleges across Punjab will reach Lahore to press for their demands, he announced.

The PPLA has called a general council meeting at MAO College, Lahore, and if no steps were taken to address what was allegedly committed in the final draft then college teachers would stage a sit-in in front of the Civil Secretariat.

Provincial Minister for Education Ali Raza Gillani told Dawn he and his department were negotiating with the PPLA.

“I’m the one who initiated dialogue and I’m the one who will resolve the matter soon,” he said.

BAHAWALPUR: Responding to PPLA general body’s call, the Bahawalpur chapter demonstrated to press for acceptance of demands.

During the one-hour boycott of classes, they demonstrated at Government Postgraduate College, Baghdad Road, at One-Unit Chowk and later took out a procession.

Bahawalpur chapter General Secretary Aftab Sumro and others demanded the Punjab government accept their demands. The chapter’s president told Dawn the one-hour protest would continue till Nov 28.

LAYYAH: College teachers took out a procession and demonstrated in front of the press club.

“If our demands are not met, the association will stage a protest in Lahore that will continue till the acceptance of our demands,” said Farhan Yasir Chand, senior vice president of PPLA, Dera Ghazi Khan division.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017