HYDERABAD, May 5: College teachers, under the banner of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, held a demonstration outside the press club here on Thursday seeking acceptance of their demands. Speaking on the occasion, Prof Agha Khalid, Prof Mohammad Mashooq Baloch, Prof Khadim Hussain Khoso, Prof Sher Khan Selro and others demanded that the government should raise salaries of the teachers by 100 per cent, increase house rent to 60 per cent and also raise medical and conveyance allowances.

They also demanded that the teachers should be exempted from payment of income tax and a notification in respect of promotions to grade 18, 19 and 20 be issued without delay.

The SPLA leaders said the decision to denationalize the Saint Joseph College and the Saint Patrick College should be rescinded.

They appealed to the Sindh governor to direct educational boards and universities of the province to increase emoluments of the college teachers as has been done in Karachi.

They urged SPLA members to beware of designs of elements trying to create a rift within the rank and file of the association and stressed the need for strengthening institutions, instead of individuals.

Meanwhile, a dissident group of the SPLA - Save SPLA Forum - held its convention at the Government Muslim Science College here on Thursday.

The forum claimed that 250 members of the SPLA attended the convention.

In his speech, SPLA founder Prof Liaquat Aziz, who presided over the convention, pledged to revitalize the association. He said the forum would participate in the SPLA elections.

The convention criticized the alleged undemocratic and unconstitutional amendments made to the SPLA constitution and expressed no confidence in the regional and central leadership of the association.

It demanded that the time scale of promotions approved by the Higher Education Commission should be implemented. It further demanded that colleges should be placed under the Sindh government, instead of district governments.

The convention said in-service professors should be appointed in educational boards, rotation policy be followed by universities and educational boards in respect of examinations and 2,000 vacant posts of lecturers in various colleges be filled through the Public Service Commission.