Appointment authority: Universities’ strike called off as govt backs off

Varsity teachers had announced a complete boycott of classes across Sindh from Monday

HYDERABAD: The Sindh government has for the second time since May 2014 backed off from exercising its appointment authority on crucial administrative positions in the public sector universities.

It has given in writing that it will not pursue the July 17 advertisement through which 16 posts of grade BPS-20 registrars and 18 of examinations controllers for 19 varsities were announced. However, the Sindh Universities Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which deprived the university syndicates of the power to make these appointments still awaits an amendment.

"The sword of Damocles is still dangling over our heads," commented Dr Ayaz Keerio, the provincial president of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (Fapuasa). Dr Keerio felt relieved after securing the written agreement on Friday as it brought about by over month-long off-and-on protests by the teachers and the officers.

Fapuasa and Sindh Universities' Officers Federation (SUOF) had also given a strike call on Thursday for August 24 but it now stands withdrawn in the wake of the development. "... [T]he current advertisement will be treated in the light of [the] signed agreement and will not be followed," reads the agreement, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, written on the letterhead of the chief minister's secretariat.

Three Fapuasa office-bearers, including Dr Keerio, two from SUOF and Karachi University Teachers' Society president Dr Jamil H Kazmi as well as the secretary, additional secretary, deputy secretary and section officer of the universities and boards are among the signatories.

The settlement also assures that the government will table an amendment to the Act "for the restoration of autonomy of universities in Sindh". According to Dr Keerio, there are unconfirmed reports that the standing committee has cleared an amendment draft, which Fapuasa had submitted to the government in May 2014.

"Iqbal Durrani's [chief minister's secretary for universities and boards] role is quite positive," said Dr Keerio. "He says the government doesn't want to intervene in the universities' autonomy." However, Durrani could not be reached for comments.

Despite their successful negotiations with the government, Fapuasa and SUOF have ceded the power of appointing the BPS-19 finance director to the Sindh government.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2015.