KARACHI: The Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) has threatened the vice chancellor (VC) with a movement seeking his resignation if he does not issue a complete schedule of the selection boards pending since 2019 and get released salaries of the newly-appointed teachers at the mass communication department in four days.

The prevailing crisis at the Karachi University (KU) worsened on Monday when a Kuts general body meeting gave the deadline and decided that teachers would boycott all academic and administrative activities unless a schedule of the selection boards was released.

“If a complete schedule of the 2019 selection boards wasn’t released by Friday, we will hold a presser (on the campus) and demand resignation of the vice chancellor and the director finance.

“Till then, teachers would boycott all morning and evening classes, and all administrative activities,” stated the resolution unanimously passed by the house.

It also highlighted the teachers’ concern over “university administration’s tactics” to put on hold the appointments at the mass communication department, demanding that the administration withdraw its court case against the matter. The house demanded that those teachers should immediately be paid their January salaries.

Give VC four-day deadline to meet demands

It condemned the attitude of the director finance who, the resolution stated, was responsible for the university’s financial crisis and had been delaying payment of remuneration of evening classes for two years.

“Teachers are now extremely frustrated over these issues that have been pending for too long. The vice chancellor so far has offered no solution,” shared Kuts president Prof Solaha Rahman who chaired the meeting.

‘Vote of no confidence’

Sources said the well-attended meeting could be seen as teachers’ vote of no-confidence against KU Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Mahmood Iraqi who they held responsible for university’s administrative, academic and financial failures.

They added that it’s the first time in two decades that Kuts unanimously decided to seek resignation of the vice chancellor. Several teachers, they said, vented their anger against him and held him responsible for all the ills plaguing the institution.

“Teachers believe that the VC has completely failed to deliver. He has put on hold all appointments despite having the authority to do the same. He isn’t willing to appoint teachers, who have won their case in the court, and putting hurdles in their way,” senior KU teacher Dr Riaz Ahmed shared with Dawn after Kuts’ meeting.

The vice chancellor’s excuse for not having the authority for appointments, he pointed out, was not based on facts.

Kuts secretary Dr Faizan Hasan Naqvi said teachers had been facing a host of issues, including their pending selection boards since 2019, which they had been raising with the administration for a long time.

“The administration has completely failed and there is absolutely no response to our pressing issues,” he said.

KU teachers have been observing a partial boycott of classes since last week, demanding a schedule of the selection boards.

According to university officials, the selection boards advertised in 2019 pertain to the entire university with 42 departments, including institutes and centres.

There are 136 vacant posts of lecturer, 45 of assistant professors, 37 of associate professors and 110 of professors.

There are said to be 350 internal candidates while the total number of external ones stands at around 6,000.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2023