Classes boycotted: HU faculty up in arms as promotions omitted from syndicate’s agenda

Meeting decides to expedite process after teachers stage sit-in

MANSEHRA: Teachers boycotted classes at the Hazara University on Tuesday and staged a sit-in outside the vice chancellor’s office after a syndicate of the varsity reportedly omitted from its agenda the matter of a selection board to approve promotions of over two dozen faculty members.

The teachers have further demanded that the university’s registrar should be removed, adding that they will be holding a token strike today (Wednesday).

According to Hazara University Academic Staff Association (HUASA) Chairman Profsessor Dr Aftab, promotions of about 29 faculty members to the posts of associate professors and professor have been stalled for several months as the university had failed to summon a meeting of the selection board to finalse promotions.

Accusing the university’s administration of employing delaying tactics over the selection board, Dr Aftab said that the decision to not include the issue of promotions on the agenda of the emergency meeting of syndicates on Tuesday angered teachers.

On the subsequent call for strike from the HUASA, faculty at the 32 departments of the varsity boycotted their classes bringing academic activities on the campus to a halt. To press the university’s management into accepting their demands, the teachers then staged a sit-in outside Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Idrees’ office while the meeting of the syndicates was underway.

The protests, though, seemed to force the syndicates into taking notice of teachers’ situation and asked the varsity administration to complete promotions of faculty members who have already cleared the selection process. It was further decided to advertise the positions of associate and professors based on posts faculty members had failed to qualify.

Meanwhile, in a press release the university’s administration termed the teachers’ strike as ‘token’. It further explained that while the emergency meeting of the syndicates had been called to discuss matters related to the university, it had reviewed demands of the HUASA and had decided that the process for organising the selection board meeting for promotions of associate and full professors would be expedited.

Later, VC Dr Idrees, Higher Education Commission member Prof Dr Syed Iqbal Shah, Dean Law department Prof Dr Suhail Shehzad and Dean Arts Prof Dr Azkia Hashmi also held meeting with protesting faculty members and informed them about the syndicate’s decisions.

After hearing about the decision of the syndicate, the HUASA called off their strike. However, they said they would observe a token strike today (Wednesday) while demanding that the Hazara University registrar be removed.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2016.