KARACHI: The Sindh government came under fire from the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Jamaat-i-Islami over its directives to public-sector universities across the province to make only contractual appointments.

The parties saw the directives as an attack on the autonomy of institutions of higher learning.

They also vowed to support the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association’s (Fapuasa) call for observing a ‘Black Day’ on Monday (today) and warned the provincial authorities to stay away from “politicising the educational institutions”.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting at the University of Karachi, representatives of Fapuasa, Sindh chapter, and Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) said that if the government didn’t take notice of their concerns over contractual appointments, they could decide to boycott classes from the next academic session.

Support teachers, staff members’ call to observe ‘Black Day’ on campuses across the province against contractual appointments today

The MQM-P categorically supported Kuts and Fapuasa demands and “condemned” the Sindh government’s decision to hire contractual teachers instead of permanent faculty members.

“It’s unacceptable,” said the MQM-P statement.

“MQM-P supports the demands of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society and the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff (Fapuasa). The MQM-P urges an end to political interference in Sindh’s universities. The Sindh government is attempting to place universities under its control, similar to local government institutions.”

The party also asked the Sindh chief minister and the provincial cabinet to formulate a clear policy to ensure autonomy of universities.

Supporting the teachers’ stance, Karachi chief of Jamaat-i-Islami Monem Zafar addressed a press conference at the party headquarters Idara Noor-i-Haq and described the Sindh’s directive as “an attack on the autonomy of universities”.

He said: “The dual standards being imposed on students in Karachi and other universities of Sindh are unacceptable.”

The JI leader emphasised the importance of supporting legitimate demands of the academic staff of Karachi University, Fapuasa, and other educational bodies advocating for universities autonomy.

He highlighted the ‘disparity’ between Karachi University and Sindh University regarding the provision of transport facilities.

He said Karachi University had only 28 buses for 45,000 students while Sindh University had 70 buses for 22,000 students. He also pointed out significant differences in tuition fees between the two universities, calling for equal fee at both institutions.

The JI leader also spoke on the Dec 8 Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT), which would be held afresh across the province.

He demanded an increase in the number of test centres in Karachi, where 12,886 students are to take the exam. He said Expo Centre should be used for this purpose.

He also asked the authorities to take strict action against those involved in last year’s and this year’s incidents of paper leak and ensure that MDCAT was conducted transparently.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2024