LAHORE: (Thursday, October 15, 2020): Punjab University Academic Staff Association on Thursday held a demonstration and took out a rally at New Campus to protest policies of Chairman Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Punjab government for not fulfilling its promises made to the academic fraternity.
PUASA President Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, Secretary Javed Sami and faculty members from all departments of Punjab University participated in the rally. The protestors were carrying banners against HEC chairman and Punjab government and raised slogans in favor of their demands. The teachers demanded immediate removal of HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri.
Addressing the participants of the rally, PUASA President and FAPUASA Punjab President Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry said that the incompetent HEC chairman and his team were deliberately bringing down the standard of higher education in Pakistan through wrong policies. He said that the HEC team was not resolving the problems being faced by the faculty members in the universities and had failed to promote higher education and research culture in Pakistan.
He said that the HEC chairman did not make any serious effort to convince the government for allocation of appropriate funds for the higher education sector. He demanded the government restore the 75 percent rebate given to teachers. He said that HEC was attempting unnecessary and illegal interventions in the autonomy of universities. He said that the teachers strongly rejected HEC’s new policies regarding research journals, post PhD experience for appointment of teachers on BPS, admissions in M Phil & PhD level and any other which had been made without consultation of teachers.
He said that HEC had also failed to resolve issues being faced by the BPS and TTS teachers. Criticizing Punjab government for not fulfilling its promises as per agreement, he demanded Punjab government approve ante-date appointment of teachers as per previous practice. He said that the Punjab government was humiliating vice chancellors and teachers through cheap tactics. He said that FAPUASA must be given representation in every policy making process. He said that FAPUASA would continue its protest campaigns country-wide unless our just demands were addressed in a proper manner. He said that teachers from all universities would hold a mega protest demonstration outside HEC Islamabad on October 21.
