Academic staff huddle: Varsity teachers for raise in budget

Ask to resolve provincial higher education commissions issue and immediately appoint HEC chairperson as well.

ISLAMABAD:

Public universities’ academic staff body has asked the government to increase higher education budget, resolve provincial higher education commissions issue and immediately appoint Higher Education Commission chairperson.

The demands were made at the annual general body meeting of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) held here on Wednesday.

The association’s newly-elected President Dr Abdul Waheed Chaudhry, who presided over the meeting, demanded that the issue of provincial higher education commissions be resolved in a transparent way and as -per the criteria.

“We also demand from the government to restore the tax rebate of 75 per cent for faculty members and researchers.

The other demands included abolishment of post-doctoral experience and revision of other useless terms and conditions for appointment, promotion of teachers and other academic staff; grant of special technical allowance for engineering and science faculty; enhancement in age of superannuation for faculty members to 65 years and specification of professor level experience for appointment of Vice-Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor along with maximum age limit of 65 years.

The body demanded restoration of ‘illegally’ dismissed faculty members of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Nawabshah, Bannu University, Balochistan University of Information Technology and Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan and revision of Sindh Universities Amendment Act.

The meeting elected Dr Waheed Chaudhry as president, Dr Azhar Ali Shah vice-president and Dr Kaleemullah Bareach general secretary of the association for 2014-15.

HEC Executive Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed agreed to address the concerns and demands of the association after getting formal approval from respective forums within three months.

The association representatives also complained about non-implementation of their demands agreed upon last year and asked Ahmed to consider teachers’ issues on priority basis and take steps for their implementation in letter and spirit.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2014.