The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chapter has demanded urgent measures from the provincial government and the chancellor to address university issues.
It was emphasised that if issues remain unresolved, a province-wide academic associations' meeting will be sought, and a future course of action will be outlined.
In this context, a cabinet meeting of FAPUASA's Peshawar chapter was held under the presidency of Dr Feroz Shah at the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar.
In the meeting, the cabinet expressed contentment over the appointment of Dr Qasim Jan as Minister for Higher Education and hoped that, being a retired professor and former vice-chancellor of universities, he would work towards the betterment of the sector given his familiarity with all related matters.
The participants stated that the provincial government should allocate a specific budget for universities' research so as to promote a research culture within universities and contribute to the provincial economy.
They also suggested the allocation of funds for universities' recurring budgets, ensuring a comprehensive policy that takes into account both losses and necessities, allowing timely disbursement of salaries and pensions for employees.
The cabinet expressed concern over the fact that many universities have not yet disbursed the government-approved Adhoc Relief Allowance (ARA) 2023 to their employees, while some universities have not even paid the remaining installment of ARA 2022. This discriminatory practice is unjust and unfair.
FAPUASA appeals to the K-P governor and the higher education minister to intervene so that employees get their due and the new academic year commences on a positive note.
The cabinet criticised the government's decision to not provide Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA) 2022 to university employees and pointed out that this allowance is being given to all government employees except those of universities. This approach contradicts the principles of equality that apply to all.
Furthermore, the cabinet decided to confer awards to recognise the exemplary performance of teachers who have demonstrated outstanding performance at the national and international levels.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 29th, 2023.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ