KARACHI, Oct 11: The Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association has condemned Sindh education department authorities for moving a summary to the chief minister to sell property worth millions of rupees of Govt Degree College, Shireen Jinnah Colony, to a commercial organisation which is already running several schools in the city.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, SPLA leaders Prof Syed Riaz Ahsan, Prof Liaquat Aziz Solangi, Prof Manzoor Chishti, Prof Athar Mirza, Prof Agha Khalid and Prof Ayub Marri alleged that taking advantage of ban on teachers’ unions and associations, the education department was trying to deprive Karachiites of one more intermediate college.

They said that the same organisation had tried to purchase a building of public school in the past but the then secretary education Nazar Muhammad Mahar had refused to do so and foiled an attempt to deprive students of a school building.

SPLA leaders alleged that Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro, who was taken on a visit to Turkey recently by the firm along with Additional Secretary Mehboob Shaikh, and employees Hannan Shaikh, Abdul Qadir Junejo and Mahesh, agreed to sell the college building for heavy commission and kickbacks.

According to them, the value of land was worth Rs200 million on which Govt Degree College Shireen Jinnah College was built while the government spent Rs50 million over construction of the building.

The college was ready to grant admissions under centralised admission policy, they added.

They charged that the education minister was directly to blame for this scam as she got a report prepared from Karachi Regional Office that there was no need for more colleges in the city although this year, D-graders were deprived of admissions in science and commerce colleges due to lack of seats.

SPLA office-bearers urged chief minister, governor and chief secretary to take notice of the sale of educational institutions in Karachi otherwise students and teachers would be compelled to initiate joint struggle against this illegal business.—PPI