ISLAMABAD (Khyber Mail): The All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA) has declared a nationwide protest by university teachers during a core committee meeting. The core committee expressed serious concerns about the Higher Education Commission (HEC) ignoring clear directives issued by the National Assembly Special Standing Committee (NASSC), chaired by Prof Dr. Mandokhail.
In August, the NASSC instructed HEC to release promotion statutes within 15 days, a directive that HEC failed to comply with despite having signed an agreement with teachers. In response to these violations, the NASSC issued a show cause notice to the Chairman of HEC.
To address these issues and prevent further violations, the core committee has decided to organize a protest to hold HEC accountable for its breaches of HEC ordinances, NASSC directives, Senate guidelines, Ministry of Education directives, and its own signed agreement. The protest plan is as follows:
Black Ribbons: October 2-6
University-level Corner Meetings: October 9-13
University Visits by Leadership: October 3-20
Walks on Campuses: October 16-20
Provincial and Central Level Press Conferences: October 23-27
March to Islamabad: October 31
Sit-in at Islamabad and Complete Boycott of Classes in Nationwide Universities: October 31 – November 3, or until the matter is resolved.
APUBTA emphasizes its commitment to resolving these issues peacefully and has raised concerns at various forums. However, HEC’s lack of seriousness and failure to honor signed agreements have left no choice but to take this course of action. The seniority issues and the absence of a service structure have adversely affected university teachers.
The government and relevant authorities are urged to address these concerns before the APUBTA’s deadline, as resolving these matters through protests would not be in the best interest of both teachers and HEC’s reputation.