Centre, Sindh govt urged to increase allocations for varsities

Representative body of universities' academic staff says grants unchanged for last seven years

HYDERABAD:

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has blamed the federal government for keeping the budget for the higher education institutions stagnant for the last seven years.

In a statement on Sunday, FAPUASA Sindh General Secretary Abdul Rehman Nangraj urged both the federal and provincial governments to enhance allocations for the universities in the upcoming budget.

He although acknowledged the Sindh government for its commitment to provide more financial support to the varsities, Nangraj said Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah's government also needed to enhance the budgetary support.

"We demand that the upcoming federal budget should include a significant increase in funding for higher education, as promised by political parties in their election manifestos," he stated. He underlined that the budget enhancement for the public sector universities is indispensable to help the institutions preclude the financial crises.

"We strongly urge the Sindh government to withdraw its letter abolishing faculty allowances," he stated, adding that on the contrary an increase in allowances and salaries by up to 50% has become necessary to combat the inflation.

FAPUASA also urged the CM Sindh to reconstitute the search committee so that competent VCs can be appointed on merit. The association recommended selection of grade 22 officers or the Vice Chancellors in the committee.

The general secretary called for appointing honest and qualified individuals as the VCs and said the practice of appointing ad hoc VCs should be abolished. He said the Sindh Chapter also endorsed the FAPUASA Pakistan's stance for the tax rebate of up to 75% to all employees of the government universities.

He also reiterated the concern about the harassment tactics used allegedly by some VCs against the faculty members and demanded an end to the practice of the victimization, warning of protests if the same situation continued. Nangraj also demanded release of funds to pay salaries to the faculty members of newly chartered universities in Mirpurkhas and Larkana districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2024.