HYDERABAD, Oct 16: People from all walks of life have taken exception to propaganda unleashed by principals of some colleges of Karachi against decision to introduce Salees (simple) Sindhi for the Urdu-speaking students of class-XI as a compulsory subject.

Those criticized the opponents of the Sindhi subject include the founder president of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, Professor Liaquat Aziz, secretary general Sindhi Adabi Sangat, Taj Joyo, secretary of the Institute of Sindh Affairs, Zafar Rajput advocate, and leaders of the Sindhi Subject Society, Kamal Jamro and Manzoor Khuhro

In a joint statement issued here the other day, they reminded these parties that in order to create national unity among the permanent residents of Sindh, the Sindh Assembly had decided in 1972 to introduce Salees Urdu subject for Sindhi children from class-III to class-XI and simple Sindhi subject for the Urdu-speaking students from class-III to class-XI.

They said the decision for some or the other reasons was not implemented.

They said Sindhi students abided by the decision but the Urdu-speaking students studied Sindhi subject upto class-X only.

They said a delegation of the SPLA comprising Riaz Ahsan, Mansoor Chishti, Athar Hussain Mirza and Mashooq Baloch met with the Sindh governor and Prof Liaquat Aziz and other SPLA leaders also observed a token hunger strike outside the press club on this subject and also for continuing the 32 years old assessment system.

They said it was after the above meeting and hunger strike that the Sindh governor again met with a teachers’ delegation and in consultation with the Sindh chief secretary, the then education secretary and other officers called for a summary on the above issue.

They claimed that under instructions from the Sindh governor, the Sindh education minister sent a communication to the curriculum wing of the federal education ministry.

They said that the federal education ministry revised the class-XI and class-XII scheme of studies and issued a notification on August 22.

They said it was under this notification that the scheme of Salees Urdu and Salees Sindhi was introduced.

They claimed that any objection in this regard was not correct.