LAHORE, Dec 19: There was a heated debate on higher education reforms at a seminar organized by the Centre for Policy and Development Alternatives here on Thursday.

While some of the participants criticized government’s education and health policies, others condemned the Joint Action Committee of teachers, doctors and students’ (JAC) and advised them to read the Model University Ordinance (MUO) to understand that it contained nothing impinging on teachers and students’ rights. “It will rather benefit teachers,” they claimed.

Those speaking against government reforms were angered by former Steering Committee on Higher Education member Salman Akram Raja’s remarks about the opponents of the MUO. Some of the participants including PPP leader Altaf Ahmed Qureshi left the arena when the debate seemed to be getting out of control.

Dr Zulfiqar Gillani and Dr Abdul Qadeer said the government had promulgated the MUO without taking the stakeholders into confidence. They said teachers would suffer while private colleges and university would open at every street-corner if it was implemented. They also expressed reservations on contractual jobs and teachers’ representation in the Syndicate and Senate.

However, Mr Akram was of the view that the MUO had been misrepresented and after its implementation, universities would become independent and perform well. The MUO has reduced the Senate strength from 200 to just 15. The members include the chancellor, the VC, a representative of the education department, one person from amongst the alumni of the university, two academic personalities not employed in the university, four university teachers and one person nominated by the commission — which would help redress university staff’s problems.

He said the annual tuition fee of universities would not increase by more than 10 per cent under the Model University Ordinance.

The MUO would not adversely affect the terms and conditions of employment of any university teacher, he claimed.

He said if an order was passed against any officer, teacher or employee, he had the right to move the Syndicate against it.

He urged upon teachers to go through the MUO before criticizing it.