Teachers demand VC’s appointment on merit

PU Teachers Front slams Academic Staff Association.

LAHORE:

The general body of the Punjab University Teachers Front has praised Prof Mujahid Kamran’s performance during his “first tenure” as vice chancellor, making a thinly-veiled declaration of support for his reappointment.

Some 300 faculty members participated in the meeting in the Senate Hall of the Old Campus on Monday and unanimously approved a resolution expressing “complete satisfaction in the remarkable increase in research, appointment and promotion of teachers on merit, and establishment of a peaceful academic atmosphere” under Prof Kamran.

Prof Kamran’s term ended with his retirement on January 2 and he is currently serving as acting VC. He is also one of three nominees for the post sent to the chief minister for consideration by a search committee tasked with identifying the best person for the job.

The resolution, presented by Syndicate member Shumaila Gul, also condemned the Academic Staff Association (ASA) for supporting the interests of “a special pressure group”, a reference to the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT). It said the VC’s appointment through the search committee would “help loosen the political group’s grip”.

The general body also condemned the ASA for not holding fresh elections, saying that the association’s constitution dictated that the polls should have been held by the end of December. It said the forum was engaged in politics over the VC’s appointment rather than in its stated purpose, ie, to help resolve teachers’ problems. The teachers passed a resolution stating that if an election schedule was not issued within a week, a general body meeting would be called and the memberships of ASA officials would be cancelled.

Prof Shaukat Ali, a Syndicate member, chaired the meeting. He said he expected Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif not to give in “to the propaganda from teachers with a Jamiat background” and to make an appointment based entirely on merit.

ASA Executive Member Dr Aamir Hashmi announced at the general body meeting that he was resigning. His resignation letter stated that the continued functioning of the ASA after the end of its tenure on December 31, 2011, was illegal. He said “a few persons” had been making statements on behalf of the ASA executive council when that body had not met for six months. He said the ASA was ignoring teachers’ problems while criticising the search committee process. “The teacher’s community did not give us this mandate. I protest against the policies of ASA and submit my resignation,” the letter read.

ASA President Dr Mahar Saeed said that Prof Kamran had threatened to cancel teachers’ promotions if they didn’t attend the Teachers Front meeting. He said that a precedent had been set for February elections of the ASA and that was when the polls would be held.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2012.