Concern over 73% cut in universities’ budget

[Naveed Yaseen]

by Rasheed Khalid
Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) General Secretary Professor Badar Soomro has expressed shock and dismay over more than 73 per cent cut in the budget of universities by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

He was addressing a press conference along with other office-bearers of the FAPUASA at the National Press Club here on Sunday.

The briefing was arranged to highlight the outcome of a two-day meeting of its general body, which started at the Allama Iqbal Open University on Saturday.

Professor Soomro said that a black day would be observed if the demands of FAPUASA were not accepted by April 22. A press conference would be held on April 29 in all universities if the authorities still showed laxity. He said that another general body meeting will be held at the Punjab University in the last week of May to chalk out a new strategy.

Answering a question, Professor Soomro said that on the one hand the government is cutting the budget of universities while on the other it is paying hefty amounts to the Tenure Track System faculty.

Professor Quddus from the Bahauddin Zakaria University said that the Tenure Track System is creating dissension and discrimination in the cadre by having different standards not only in different provinces but also different universities.

Professor Zahid Majeed, general secretary of the Academic Staff Association, AIOU, said that the ASA has rejected the controversial Tenure Track System.

Professor Soomro said that Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, in a speech, had called for harmonious salaries and allowances to all faculty members in all provinces. He said that the cuts are so acute that the International Islamic University did not pay 20 per cent raise in salaries to its teachers announced by the government in the Budget 2008-09. He said that the decision of the Punjab University to grant Rs10,000 as PhD allowance should be implemented in all universities. He expressed annoyance over the stoppage of scholarships to teachers for doing PhDs abroad by the HEC. He criticised favouritism in granting funds to different universities and persons.

Referring to rumours regarding abolition of the Higher Education Commission, Professor Soomro said that instead of going for a kill the HEC should be downsized, properly audited and should be headed by a serving professor. He said that vice-chancellors should also be appointed from serving professors for only a single term. He criticised the trend of appointing retired persons to head universities. He said that governors should not be appointed as chancellors and professors should be appointed as chancellors with a status equivalent to a federal minister.

He called for restoring teachers who were forcibly retired from some universities. He asked the democratic government to revoke the Model University Ordinance imposed on the newly-established universities by Musharraf regime. FAPUASA is perturbed in particular on singling out Balochistan University for MUO implementation amongst the old universities. He asked for granting a grade higher to hardship cases in the same designation as had been done in Gomal, Balochistan and Peshawar universities. He also called for withdrawal of the ordinance issued in 2002 for removal from services, which was applied in some universities.

He called for brining new universities under university acts according to 1973 Constitution. He said that there should be an evaluation, monitoring and accountability procedure for all the vice chancellors to assess their performance.

The meeting also expressed its pleasure and satisfaction on the restoration of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as chief justice of Pakistan. The meeting on this occasion elected new office-bearers for the next one-year term including Dr. Inayatullah Shah from Sindh University, (President), Professor Kaleemullah from University of Balochistan (Vice-President) and Professor Badar Soomro (General Secretary). The meeting also elected presidents of provincial chapters and executive members. The provincial heads were Dr. Saeed A Nagara (Punjab), Professor Liaquat (Balochistan), Dr Arbab Khan Afridi (NWFP), Professor Liaquat Ali Tunio (Sindh) and Dr Iqbal Shah (Federal).

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=169941