Till demands are met: Public-sector universities to shut down indefinitely in protest

HYDERABAD:

Academic activities of all public sector universities in Sindh will be suspended from May 26 for an indefinite period.

The call was given by the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa) in reaction to the Sindh Government's perceived violation of the universities' autonomy.

The provincial government's advertisement of the vacancies of registrar, controller and finance director for 20 government universities in Sindh triggered the reaction.

Fapuasa executive council member Dr Arfana Mallah told The Express Tribune that a joint press conference has been called on May 26 at the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro. Teachers' representatives from all universities of Sindh will be present.

Under the Sindh Universities Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, the Sindh government wrested power to appoint the registrar, controller, director finance and other bureaucratic officers from the varsities. Before the amendment, the university syndicates were responsible for the appointments.

The new law was condemned by the teachers and their protest made the government verbally relent into amending the law to return the power to the varsities.

Fapuasa vice-president Dr Azhar Ali Shah held multiple meetings with Sindh Law Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro in this regard. He claimed that he was assured that their recommendations for greater autonomy of the universities will be incorporated into the new amendment. However, the assurance is yet to materialise.

The teachers' strike will affect the ongoing semester exams being conducted in several universities.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2014.