KARACHI: College teachers boycotted academic activities across Sindh on Monday on the call given by the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA).

SPLA President Prof Munawwar Abbas has announced that a sit-in outside Bilawal House in Karachi will be held on February 12 to press the government meet its charter of demands.

The demands include implementation of the five-tier formula, convening departmental promotion committees for “thousands of vacant lecturer posts”, holding Board-I and Board-II meetings, revising sanctioned strength based on student-teacher ratios and establishing new colleges in line with provincial educational needs.

Other demands include a fair transfer and posting policy, immediate hiring of non-teaching staff, improvement of college infrastructure, furniture and laboratory equipment, issuance of textbooks for computer science, commerce and arts under the Sindh Textbook Board, merit-based regular appointments free from nepotism, appointment of principals and DDOs on merit, restoration of frozen conveyance, medical and house rent allowances in line with inflation and payment of MPhil and PhD allowances as per higher judiciary rulings.

SPLA President Prof Abbas said that college teachers had been protesting for over a month but the Sindh government and the College Education Department showed no seriousness in resolving their issues.

He added that teachers had no option but to intensify their protest.

Prof Abbas also said that the SPLA had tried for the past three years to meet the Sindh education minister but he remained preoccupied with school education matters and could not spare time to address college-related issues.

He added that several meetings had been held with the secretary for colleges, but negotiations yielded no results.

He said the SPLA leadership had now decided to take their complaints directly to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto. He expressed hope that they would play a key role in improving the deteriorating condition of colleges.

Office-bearers from Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur regions also participated in the protest and reiterated their demands.

Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2026