HYDERABAD, Oct 5: Intellectuals, prominent citizens and parents of the students studying in public universities of the province have voiced grave concern over clashes among different political groups inside the Sindh University that has disrupted academic atmosphere and posed a threat to midterm examinations.

In a statement mailed to Dawn on Friday, they said that for too long parents, citizens and people in general had kept silent at the worthless student politics in the universities, which only served to keep a few criminals and some insignificant political groups alive at the expense of students’ future. “For too long”, they remarked, “the civil society has seen slogan-mongering and pointless agitation spoiling a whole generation of Sindhi youth. People have seen crimes flourishing in the universities behind this fruitless exercise, which has also given rise to extortion and criminal activities”.

Sindhis were now on the verge of losing patience and civil society’s intervention had become imperative.

Sindh’s public universities had still a long way to go to become ideal universities but initial steps in this direction had been taken such as entry tests and compulsory student attendance, which had, to some extent, improved quality of education, they said.

They highly appreciated the latest step taken by the University of Sindh allowing students to grade their teachers according to their teaching and believed it would improve the teachers’ performance.

“We, on behalf of parents and concerned citizens warn all the elements who indulge in crime behind the facade of student politics at the cost of our children’s education that they should desist from disturbing our universities and our children’s education, otherwise they will have to face the wrath of whole Sindhi nation,” the statement read.

They demanded that all the political parties should announce the end of student politics inside university campuses and suggested putting in place a new system in which bright students of each department and institute were made class representatives who would together constitute a forum to plan healthy activities.

Such a system was working successfully in the NWFP and had recently been introduced in the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, they said.

They urged the universities’ administration and teachers to address student’s genuine needs and problems on merit and appealed to Sindhi nation to “take personal interest in all the educational institutions from primary to university level as the educational system in the province has totally collapsed and it will need serious efforts on part of each and every one of us to make our institutions and our alma mater a place of honour and learning once again worthy of our pride”.

The signatories to the statement were Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo, Abrar Kazi, former senator Kazi Abdul Majid, Prof Aijaz Qureshi, Ghulam Nabi Morai, Syed Shafiq Haider Shah, Jami Chandio, Zulfiqar Halepoto, Nazeer Memon, Nazeer Essani and Dr Nazeer Shaikh.