KARACHI, April 1: The Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), at a hurriedly called meeting on Friday, has alleged the Catholic Education Board (CEB) to be involved in illegal activities violating the Society Registration’s Act, while saying it was not the legal owner of these colleges.

It condemned the handing over of St Patrick’s and St Joseph’s colleges to the Catholic board.

The SPLA Karachi region meeting held with Prof Riaz Ahsan in the chair at the Government Adamjee Science College Karachi was informed that in fact the owner of the St Joseph’s college was Sister Superior of the St Joseph’s Government School while the owner of St Patrick’s college was its principal.

The meeting deplored that despite evidences that the CEB had no legal rights whatsoever over these colleges, the Sindh Education Minister, Dr Hamida Khuhro, was patronizing the board and keen to hand over the colleges to the board.

The SPLA office bearers during the meeting felicitated students, teachers and parents of both the colleges observing that the CEB had failed in proving its ownership of these colleges, adding the conspiracy to denationalize these two reputed institutions had also failed.

Meanwhile, the SPLA Karachi region, in the meeting also demanded the promotion of teachers to grades 18 and 19, stated its statement.

The meeting participants appealed to the chief minister and the chief secretary

for prompt issuance of notification with regard to the promotion of teachers from grade 17 to 18 and from grade 18 to 19, further demanding that directives also be issued for upgrading 33 per cent of librarians and DPEs.

The participants of the meeting also appealed to those associated with the St Joseph’s Government College for Women and St Patrick’s College to show unity for the continuation of the academic process at the institutions.—APP/PPI