LAHORE: A group of Punjab University’s Institute of Social and Cultural Studies students (ISCS) announced on Wednesday wearing black ribbons at the sacking of visiting teacher Ammar Ali Jan from the job.

Peoples’ Students Federation information secretary Sibt-i-Hassan told Dawn they were raising the issue because Jan was the only teacher in the department who would encourage cultural activities and encouraged holding cultural and educational festivals in the campus.

He said they had found time and again that the administration were selling the university land and sacking the teachers without consultation the students.

Another student Zammon Saleem says Mr Jan was one such teacher who we could always talk about anything.

“If preaching peace on campus and empowering students to be vocal is his crime, we need more teachers like Sir Ammar!,” he said.

Mr Jan was shown the door last week over, what the administration says, failing to meet the contract requirements.The Punjab University spokesman says the visiting teacher was not giving joining as per appointment orders.

In the past, he pressurised the administration to appoint him a regular teacher without participating in competition.

According to the PU spokesperson, they had provided a good opportunity for students from other provinces to interact with each other and promote diversity. Mr Jan was reportedly deepening ethnic divisions on campus.

The spokesman said that Mr Jan was running an online campaign that the PU did not give him any salary and he had not availed any financial benefit from the PU. As per record, Mr Jan was appointed on contract on June 22, 2017 for three months in violation of the rules laid down in university calendar and any competition for the seat.

Mr Jan did not sign his salary bill and did not send it to the relevant staff, which showed that ‘salary was not his concern’.

However, the spokesman said, Mr Jan was paid Rs81,900 for teaching classes at the ISCS. After the expiry of the contract, the institute again offered him a contract but Mr Jan did not submit his joining report. Subsequently, as per policy in vogue, his appointment order was withdrawn in January 2018.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2018