KARACHI, Feb 3: Teachers at a gathering held at Karachi University on Thursday warned the authorities that the movement launched at Sindh University, Jamshoro, was just a beginning and it would continue till the desperately needed structural reforms were made at all public sector universities in the province.

“Puppet vice chancellors” appointed through the discretionary powers of the chancellor’s office, they said, were the main cause of deterioration of all public sector institutions of higher learning in the province and there was a dire need to review the role of the Governor’s House in the light of the 18th constitutional amendment.

The gathering was organised by a group of senior KU teachers in honour of their colleagues from Sindh University, where a teachers’ movement has gained impetus following the murder of a professor. The agitation has led to the removal of the SU’s vice chancellor whom the protesting teachers blamed for the professor’s murder besides accusing him of massive corruption and malpractices on the campus.

Eleven of the 12 public sector universities in Sindh, including Karachi University, are headed by retired professors.

Sharing their experiences, the teachers from the SU extended support to their colleagues at the KU and urged them to raise their voice against the likely appointment of another retired professor as head of the KU.

“Teachers at the KU still seem confused. Start a struggle now,” remarked Dr Arfana Mallah, secretary of the Sindh University Teachers’ Association (SUTA), while looking at the small attendance of KU teachers in the university’s audio visual centre.

She regretted that the representative body of the KU teachers did not attend meetings concerning the teachers’ movement.

The SU movement, Dr Mallah told the audience, was born out of decades of academic degradation and increasing lawlessness at the university.

“The university’s statutory bodies have virtually been paralysed as the vice chancellor handled all affairs single-handedly,” she said.

Recalling some recent related developments in the Governor’s House, she said the relevant officials never rejected the allegations against Prof Nazir Ahmed Mughal, the SU vice chancellor, but their contention was that if the teachers’ demand was accepted, the movement could spread to other universities being headed by retired professors.

“It was the fear of the movement spreading to other institutions that the officials gave in to our demands,” she said, adding that they had to face a lot of pressure and even threats to discontinue the movement.

The university had no in-service, capable employee as vice chancellor for 22 years which was one of the major causes of the falling standards of education and rising violence on the campus, she said.

Regarding the murder of Prof Bashir Ahmed Channar, the SU’s director for student affairs, she said the teachers’ investigation showed that the removed vice chancellor was directly responsible for the murder as he, at a meeting with affected students, had reportedly put the blame for the rustication of the students on the late professor, though the vice chancellor himself had done it.

“That’s why we demanded a judicial inquiry into the murder, which has been accepted,” she said.

As did the other speakers, Dr Mallah severely criticised the role of law-enforcement agencies on the campuses and said: “They have become a party to campus politics and are actually involved in crimes happening on the campus.

“Ten students have been killed and hundreds of others wounded at the university in 10 years. Of them, four students and a professor were killed in the tenure of the removed vice chancellor alone. If the Rangers and police had maintained peace, the situation wouldn’t have been as it is,” she said, arguing that poor public sector universities, which did not have money even to buy chemicals and books, certainly could not afford to pay for the law enforcement agencies.

“What academic activities could take place in the presence of a gun?” she said.

Dr Syed Azhar Ali Shah, heading the SUTA, regretted that every government post had criteria for appointment, but this was
none in the case of the head of a university in Sindh. The Higher Education Commission had set criteria for the appointment of a vice chancellor, but that was not being followed.

“A vice chancellor search committee should be set up for each public sector university that must include representative teachers of the university,” he said.

He alleged that the vice chancellors’ committee headed by a government secretary had fuelled nepotism and corruption.

Dr Amar Sindhu, another teacher from SU, said the success of the SUTA movement had proved that goals could be achieved if there was commitment and dedication.

Navin Haider, a teacher at Pakistan Studies Centre, KU, explained why it was necessary to have an in-service person as vice chancellor. “He is part of the teaching community and as such feels accountable for all his actions.”

There was consensus among the speakers that a united movement be launched across the province against the appointment of retired professors as vice chancellors, for the restoration of universities’ autonomous status and student unions, withdrawal of law-enforcement agencies from the campuses and their de-weaponisation with the support of political and religious parties.

Prof Dr Aqeel Ahmed, Dr Riaz Ahmed, Dr Shakeel Siddiqui, from the KU, and Dr Iftikhar Tahiri representing the Federal Urdu University Teachers’ Society also spoke.Dawn.