False claims? SPLA has no governing body, claim members

Association members say govt should stop dealing with so-called representatives

KARACHI: Some members of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) have requested the minister of education, secretary for college education and media to stop entertaining the SPLA or their so called office bearers as representatives of an elected body.

While addressing a press conference on Thursday, Prof Syed Shabahat Raza gave reference to a Sindh High Court Hyderabad circuit bench order issued on December 3, 2016 that said an election should be carried out in a transparent manner and the right to vote should be given to all SPLA members in accordance with the law. He said the government should wait for fair elections to be held before dealing with SPLA representatives. “There is no elected body or authority of the SPLA right now and whoever is claiming to be president or general secretary is acting against the rule of law,” he added.

SPLA has not had an officially endorsed body since 2012, as the association is registered under the Societies Act, 1860. Matters worsened when the official body was divided into two parts and went to the Joint Stock Companies (JSC) get themselves registered separately but the provincial assistant manager advised both the parties to approach a court to settle their dispute.

Meanwhile, JSC has written to the association body to stop collecting membership or other fees through personal bank accounts and conducting elections via unregistered amended articles of the association.

After the court’s order, petitioner Muhammad Yaqoob Chandio wrote a letter to the minister of education and secretary of college education assuring them that an administrator would soon be appointed to hold the elections but until then no individual or group should be entertained as SPLA representatives and any decision taken with their consent will not be acceptable to the college teaching community.

Prof Raza asked the minister and secretary to issue a new seniority list of grades 17, 18, 19 and 20 teachers so that it can be clear how many posts are vacant or are awaiting promotions. “Since 2014 no updated seniority list has been issued,” he claimed, adding that before promotions a seniority list is needed.

Prof Raza also pointed out that they have many objections to the old list and some of the teachers have left the country or are no longer alive.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2017.