KARACHI, Feb 6: The Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) on Monday urged chancellors of all the varsities of Sindh to take notice of the “unnecessary interference of the Higher Education Commission (HEC)” into the affairs of the provincial varsities and ensure autonomy of the universities.

In a statement issued here, KUTS President Sarwar Nasim said that HEC was only a grant-releasing body, which could also give suggestions to varsities for maintaining a uniform policy on various academic issues.

However, under no circumstances the HEC should blackmail the varsities to adopt its policies in the name of the so-called reforms, he added. Mr Naseem claimed that most of HEC officials had no real teaching experience at varsities, so most of their decisions were either turned down by the statuary bodies of the varsities or were imposed arbitrarily.

“The HEC chairman, who was totally against the recommendations of the Task Force on Higher Education till 2003, has now started implementing controversial recommendations like tenure track system, foreign faculty hiring programme and new rules for MPhil/PhD admissions by blackmailing the varsities” he added.

All these issues would lead to major changes in the Karachi University Act of 1974 and added without adopting due procedure, teachers of the public sector varsities will continue opposing such moves.

The KUTS president called upon the HEC to initiate a healthy debate to find ways and means to enhance quality of education and bring local varsities at par with the foreign varsities.—PPI