LAHORE: The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA), Punjab Chapter, on Friday demanded an increase in the Higher Education Commission (HEC) budget and special allowance for teachers.

FAPUASA Punjab President Dr Abdul Sattar Malik, General Secretary Dr Ahtisham Ali and other officials besides ASA representatives of various universities of Punjab presented their demands before the government. They demanded an increase of 25pc special allowance for all teachers and a 75pc tax rebate for university teachers.

In a press conference held at the Government College University, Dr Malik said the budget of the federal government had increased by 30pc in the last four years but the budget for the current expenditure of higher education institutions i.e. nearly 64bn had been frozen, leaving the country’s public universities in a deep financial crisis with many of them struggling to pay salaries to staff.

Mr Malik said that in the last few years, the number of government and semi-government higher education institutions had increased from 100 to 140 and the number of their sub-campuses had crossed 100, raising their expenditures. Moreover, instead of promoting a research culture in universities, the government had further reduced research funds in the last four years, he lamented.

He added that the universities were being forced to increase student fees.

The FAPUASA Punjab demanded at least Rs100bn allocation in the next budget for the higher education institutions expenditures and at least Rs50bn for research and development.

Provincial General Secretary Dr Ahtisham Ali said BPS-21 employees posted in federal and provincial departments had been receiving a 100pc special allowance and excluding BPS-20 and 21 university and college teachers from the list of special allowances was discriminatory.

He demanded that above grades be given a 25pc special allowance. He demanded technical allowance for engineering faculty members.

Dr Abdul Sattar Malik expressed concern at the attacks on autonomy of the higher education institutions with infiltration of the bureaucracy in the universities in the name of the Uniform Universities Act. He demanded end to the interference of bureaucracy in the universities through regular legislation.

The FAPUASA Punjab said time-scale promotion should be granted to BPS teachers like the teachers on tenure track system (TTS). It also expressed concerns at the requirement of post-PhD experience for the appointment of associate professors and professors at the universities, effective from March 31. It warned of a strike if the unjust requirement of post-PhD experience for the appointment of associate professors and professors was not abolished.

On the occasion, Secretary ASA Punjab University Dr Amjad Abbas Khan Magsi supported the demands of the FAPUASA, saying the decision by the Punjab governor without considering the stance of PU teachers regarding ante date appointments should be withdrawn immediately.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2021