KARACHI: Amid protests of student bodies on the Karachi University (KU) campus over increase in the tuition fees, a rift between teachers and the varsity administration seems to be growing as the former alleged that they were not allowed to raise their concerns and suggestions at the recent meeting of the Academic Council on different matters, including fees hike.

However, Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi defended the decision and said that financial challenges forced the university to increase the tuition fee.

The teachers also regretted what they described as the “aggressive conduct” and “use of inappropriate words by the vice chancellor” against the members at the Sept 26th session of the academic council.

In a statement released by Prof Firdous Imran, Prof Munawwar Abbas, Prof Nasir Iqbal, Ghufran Alam and Dr Ali Sher Ghanghro, it was pointed out that the members protested during the said session when the vice chancellor, instead of replying to the concerns raised by Prof Abbas, also the president of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association, pertaining to the affiliation of a college with the university, said that “he was acting like Gandapur”.

VC Iraqi defends the decision, saying financial challenges forced university to increase fees

“The elected representatives of colleges and principals represented 11,000 teachers on the KU’s academic council and this attitude is like taking away their right to speak on the forum,” the statement said.

It stated that Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) president during the said session suggested a five per cent increase in students’ fee instead of 10pc to which the house responded by thumping desks. But the vice chancellor, it pointed out, stated that the decision of 10pc increase in the tuition fee was approved by the syndicate and that it didn’t need approval of the academic council.

It also criticised the vice chancellor for not letting Mr Ghufran, another member of the council, complete his speech on students’ fees.

“During the session, Dr Ghufran suggested that the university should rationalise the fee structure as per the needs of respective departments and the facilities they offer to students. But the VC stopped him from completing his speech and spoke to him in an aggressive manner. The VC also called another member a spokesperson of Mr Ghufran when she protested over his [VC’s] bad conduct,” the statement said.

It further stated: “We believe this forum is for building consensus on academic matters but the way the vice chancellor is heading the statutory body is highly inappropriate.”

Meanwhile, the All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation has also condemned the increase in students’ fees at KU.

“These kinds of decisions are like snatching the right to education from poor students. We demand that the university administration withdraw this decision forthwith,” a spokesperson of the students’ body stated.

No note of dissent from anyone, says VC

Replying to the concerns raised by KU’s academic council members, Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid M. Iraqi said the members could have put a note of dissent if they had any reservations over his conduct during the council’s proceedings.

Prof Abbas, he said, had warned the house of protests while speaking about the pending affiliation of a college.

“On this threat, I said that you [Prof Abbas] are using words like Gandapur. I also raised an objection when a female member, also representing the college teachers, started making a video of the session, which isn’t allowed under the university rules,” he said.

Prof Iraqi insisted that he didn’t stop any member from expressing opinion during the session.

“Mr Ghufran was given multiple opportunities to speak his mind. But I did ask him to back his arguments with evidence. The university increases fee for the new batches and not for the old students, as he was claiming,” he said, adding: “Secondly, I had suggested a 10 per cent increase in the fees on the basis of syndicate’s approval in this respect, which is now approved by the academic council as well.”

The vice chancellors also spoke of the financial challenges forcing the university to increase the tuition fee. The Higher Education Commission’s grant of Rs1.8 billion, he pointed out, had seen no increase since 2018 while there had been a 150pc raise in salaries and other expenditures, including utility and medical bills.

“The provincial government’s financial support —currently standing at Rs3.2bn — increases annually. Yet, there is a still a significant gap between growing expenditures and funding support, which is met through students’ fees,” he added.

Prof Iraqi claimed that students’ enrolment in the once-lucrative evening programme was declining.

“Having said that, the university offers different scholarships that, unfortunately, doesn’t receive good response from students. In 2019, I managed to get 300 scholarships from Sindh Endowment Fund for which hardly 50 to 60 students applied,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024