Karachi University: Campus shuts down... again

Teachers reassured of extra security measures.

KARACHI: The administration offices of Karachi University will remain closed for two days, due to security concerns.

Speaking to Express News, the registrar of Karachi University said that examinations for all degree classes, including Bsc, BDS and MBBS have been postponed. The exams were scheduled to be held on December 21 and 22.

Updated from print edition (below).

Violence on campus: Back to exams for Karachi University

Annual semester exams of Karachi University (KU) are back on track after the Karachi University Teachers Society decided on Monday to end their boycott after campus clashes left a teacher injured.

Exams of all departments will now start from Tuesday, December 21 as per schedule, announced Registrar Professor Kaleem Raza Khan. This was decided by the association at a general body meeting, chaired by the president, Dr Abid Husnain, after the KU administration assured the teachers of better security.

The meeting was held at the vice-chancellor’s office, in which semester examinations, security and the new academic calendar was discussed. It was decided in the meeting that teachers, staff and student security would  be top priority. Rangers deployed at KU were also instructed to implement the new orders.

The postponed exams will be held before January 5, 2011. The new academic session will begin on January 8 and introductory classes of all departments will be held the same day.

After the meeting, the association’s secretary, Assistant Professor Dr Shakeel Farooqui, issued a circular which said that additional security will be provided during the exams. He also stressed that action should be taken against those groups that are working against the university from inside its premises. The association also expressed displeasure over students trying to use improper means to mark their attendance and increase their marks. The next meeting will be held at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the semester examination cell has been instructed to compile results as soon as possible.

A clash between the Peoples Student Federation (PSF) and the Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) took place on December 9, Thursday evening. Another clash took place on Friday in which ‘neutral’ students were forced out of classrooms during their exams. A stampede ensued when students ran out of their classrooms because members of the organisations started pelting them with stones.

A teacher of the sociology department, Ghulam Mujtaba, was hurt during the clash. After his minor injury, the teachers’ association called an emergency meeting and decided to boycott the semester examinations until the protection of the faculty is ensured.

While the boycott ended on Monday, security arrangements at KU still looked shaky. A student organisation forced its way into the security office on campus and damaged the furniture there.

Meanwhile, on Monday another student group protested against the management and said that the decisions made by the administration were not being implemented. The students surrounded the administration building and shouted slogans against the management.

They demanded that the decision to prohibit students who were involved in the dispute should be implemented. Employees inside the building were unable to come out during the protest and due to the worsening situation, BA regular exams scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed. Two officials, a security guard and the deputy registrar general, were transferred in line with the demands made by the student group and new officials were assigned to these posts.

Registrar Professor Kaleem Raza was unable to comment on the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2010.