KARACHI, Feb 22: Turning critical over the affairs of the Sindh education department, the Sindh Professors and Lecturers' Association (SPLA), has demanded of the chief minister to take remedial measures.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the leaders of the association claimed that authorities at the department were not only indifferent to the problems of the teaching and non-teaching staff of the government educational institutions but were also failing to ensure fairness in the matters pertaining to their transfer and postings.

The office-bearers of SPLA Karachi region, Prof Riaz Ahsan, Prof Iftikhar Mohammad Azmi, Prof Mohammad Akbar Khan and Prof Sarfaraz Ali Khan are of the view that the due procedures were being ignored in regard to the transfer and posting of college teachers.

They said that the department was failing to get teachers appointed on long vacant posts of lecturers in colleges. They also expressed concern over keeping the cases of promotions of college teachers pending and demanded for immediate meeting of the provincial selection board-II.

They also opposed the denationalization of the St Joseph's and St Patrick's colleges and said that efforts were on to remove some of the government officials, including the EDO, DOE and principal of the college St Joseph's college unnecessarily.

They drew the attention of the chief minister towards the appointment of retired educational officers on different higher posts at the educational boards, uncalled for changes made in the academic calendar, undue interference of the external and political elements in the affairs of city colleges and reported misappropriations of funds pertaining to students and teachers.

Prof Riaz Ahsan said that college teachers would continue their campaign for the acceptance of their long standing demands as per the decisions of the executive council, while a general body meeting of teachers would be held at Karachi on March 17.

He alleged that education minister had some "malafide intentions" behind starting academic calendar from August instead of April as she awarded contract of publishing textbooks to some of her favourites, who refused to provide books in April, adds PPI.

Prof Riaz said that this decision would deprive students from acquiring admissions in reputed institutions of higher education like LUMS, NUST, GIK and others. Besides, he added, it would deprive teachers of their right of summer vacations, which is another injustice.

He alleged that two servants of Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro were involved in illegal transfers and postings. He also criticized the minister for getting transferred two education secretaries Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha and Nadir Markhiani, replacement of special secretary education Sohail Akbar Shah with Ghulam Qadir Mangi, forced transfers of additional secretaries Saleh Farooqui, Dr Noorul Haq and Deputy Secretary Muhammad Ali Mangrio.