LAYYAH, Aug 19: Poly-technical institute staff welfare association president Allah Bux has opposed leasing out Tevta institutions to what he said inefficient and incompetent private managements.

Reports said the technical education and vocational training authority (Tevta) general manager (operations) had run advertisements in July in national dailies inviting expression of interests (EoIs) for handing over administrative control of some of the institutions to private parties like companies, chambers of commerce and other reputed organisations.

Layyah poly-technical institute staff welfare association president Allah Bux said they would launch a protest movement if the move was not withdrawn.

“They are already hoisting black flags on some of the institutions as a mark of protest,” he said.

Prominent educationist Chaudhry Akram Javaid told this correspondent that by leasing out Tevta institutions to private parties, technical education would become expensive and talented students of middle and poor classes would not be able to continue studies especially in the southern Punjab where the income of the masses is lower than other parts of the province.

Tevta is imparting technical education and vocational training through its network of institutions like colleges of technology, commerce colleges, vocational training institutes and commercial training centres in various parts of Punjab.

The Layyah poly-technical institute had been established on 40 acres of land in the heart of the city in 1960 with the aid of Swedish government. Initially mechanical and electrical diploma courses were started and later civil and electronics diploma introduced. The institute is also providing training to jobless youth through different technical short courses for establishing their own business.

At present 700 students have been enrolled on merit and self-finance basis in different technologies. About 300 youths are being trained in different technical trades. As many as 54 teachers and 91 non-teaching staff are performing duties in the institute.