HYDERABAD, April 12: The Federation of All Pakistan University Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA), Sindh chapter, has demanded of the Higher Education Commission to increase the budget of Sindh universities considering their development needs.

A meeting of the FAPUASA held here the other day said the commission should ensure proper utilization of the funds as in many universities of the province the development budget was spent on low priority projects and a large proportion of the budget was embezzled.

It said the commission should monitor development projects being carried out in universities.

The meeting deplored Sindh universities were passing through crisis because of bad governance, dictatorial policies of vice-chancellors, misuse of funds, favouritizm and victimization of teachers, officers and employees.

It said university syndicates had been rendered ineffective as decisions were taken by vice-chancellors unilaterally.

It feared this kind of practices would affect socio-economic development of the province.

The FAPUASA appealed to the Sindh governor, chief minister, elected representatives, federal education minister, HEC chairman and other authorities concerned to take notice of the bad governance in universities and take action to rectify the problem.

It said there was no need to have an adviser on higher education to the Chancellor as there was no such position in the other provinces.

It decided to prepare a draft university act as an alternative to the Model University Ordinance (MUO) which would be presented to the governor, chief minister and members of the Sindh Assembly. This draft act would also be shared with the other chapters of the FAPUASA. Protest against the MUO would be continued, it further decided.

The meeting called for an end to victimization of teachers and office-bearers of academic staff associations. It blamed the HEC for paying attention to only information technology education and ignoring other disciplines.

The meeting decided to organize a conference on “Role of Universities in the Development of Sindh”.

Prof Mushtaq Mirani presided over the meeting.