Resumption of Sindh University classes demanded

Rally demands resumption of classes at SU
Hyderabad, Jan 26: A rally in favour of resuming classes at a university closed since the beginning of the month due to the murder of a professor, and another demanding resignation of the vice-chancellor were taken out on Wednesday.

A number of senior teachers, employees, civil society members and parents and guardians of students of the Sindh University appealed to protesting teachers to save the future of students by immediately resuming classes.

Classes were suspended on January 2, after the assassination of Prof Basheer Ahmed Channar, also Director Students Affairs. The peace rally was organized by the Sindh University Officers Welfare Association.

The procession was led by pro-vice chancellors Prof Dr Parveen Shah, Prof Dr Anwar Ali Shah, Prof Dr Imdad Ali Ismaili and President of the Association Muhammad Nawaz Narejo.

The rally started from the Model School Hyderabad to press club and largely attended by the officers, senior teachers, employees and students of the university, and also two sons of the murdered professor – Dawood Channar and Aziz Channar.

Carrying banners, participants appealed to teachers to resume teaching to avoid further loss of students.

Sindh is the land of peace and Sufi's and always promoted brotherhood, and it was our collective duty to maintain the traditions of our forefathers who established this place of learning, they said.

"We are answerable to the nations for not delivering what our province demands for its development and betterment.

Teachers should immediately resume the teaching process," they said.

They appealed to the authorities to order arrest of killers of Prof Bashir Ahmed Channar while appreciating the efforts of vice-chancellor in this regard.

However, activists of the Left Unity took out a procession from the old campus to the press club in support of the Sindh University Teachers Association (SUTA) calling for the removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof Nazir A. Mughal and establishment of a judicial commission.

A good number of university teachers and leaders of the Non-Academic Staff Association participated in the rally. They carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans of "Go VC Go," "Save the university" and "Education system based on

class system unacceptable.

Leaders of the Left Unity Bakhshal Thalho and Latif Inqalabi said that maladministration in universities was rampant, especially in the Sindh University.

They alleged that vice-chancellors were being appointed on political recommendation and gratification, instead of merit because of which they remain non-serious towards education sector.

Some four students and a professor lost their lives during the tenure of the incumbent vice-chancellor, besides financial mismanagement and maladministration were topping the list they said adding that neither educational transformation nor research culture was developed.

Their demands included removal of vice-chancellor, appointment of a judicial commission, withdrawal of Rangers and police from the campus and revival of student unions.

SUTA leaders Azhar Ali Shah and Dr Arfana Mallah and employees' leaders Ghulam Nabi Bhalai and Allah Wadhayo also spoke on the occasion.

The teachers and employees also staged a rally at the university campus and raised slogans against the VC.

NOTIFICATION: Registrar Sindh University on Wednesday notified regularisation of services of contractual employees

completing one year satisfactory services as per the rules.

It further announced giving job priority to sons/daughters of deceased/retired employees according to qualification required for posts from BPS-2 to BPS-6. Upgradation orders of remaining employees will be issued soon under technical scheme.

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Varsity appoints 25 demonstrators
Larkana: The syndicate of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SBBMU), with five out of its ten members, approved the appointment of 25 demonstrators in different departments.

The approval was given at a meeting of the syndicate at Chandka Medical College here on Wednesday.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Akbar Haidar Soomro, who presided over the meeting, told reporters that five members of the syndicate attended the meeting while its convener was out of country.

He said that four members did not turn up at the meeting though they were present in the college.  When asked what reason was behind their reluctance to attend the meeting, the VC said they were pressing for up-gradation of their posts and the item was not included in the agenda.

The meeting also approved the proposal of allowing Professor Dr Ghulam Qadir Kaheri to continue as the chairman of the department of forensic medicine. Dawn

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Lecturers' regularisation soon
Karachi: The government would soon move a bill in the provincial assembly to regularise the services of over 5,000 lecturers, a source said on Wednesday. The government also plans to recruit 14,000 more teachers, he said. The education minister had directed his department to advertise the posts in local newspapers, the source added.

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Students body threatens to block TV channels
Quetta: A students organisation in Balochistan Wednesday threatens to block all the channels, which, according to them, were showing partiality in their telecast.

Central Committee of the Baloch Students Organisation (Muhiyuddin) met here under the chair of Muhiyuddin Baloch. The meeting said the channels are making electricity loadshedding and CNG closer in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi as breaking news but completely ignore situation in Balochistan. They said being afraid of blockage of advertisements, these channels don't highlight Balochistan issues in their transmission.

They said the channels would be blocked in Balochistan province and Baloch areas of Karachi. They said they would also talk to representatives of journalist community and cable operators' association to lodge a protest in this regard.

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1,046 teachers promoted to BPS-17
Islamabad: As many as 1,046 Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) working under Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) have been promoted from BPS-16 to BPS-17 under the upgradation package announced by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on October 5, 2011.

The notification issued by the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) provided much needed joy for the teachers many of whom have been working in BPS-16 for last ten to twenty years.

According to the notification 474 male and 572 female teachers have been promoted from TGT category to Secondary School Teachers (SST) category that would make them eligible for other benefits.

The notification showed that only those teachers have been promoted that have minimum of 3-year experience and were not promoted to Grade 16 after December 31, 2010.

The TGTs teachers continued to raise voice for their rights for so many months and most of the protesting TGTs were those who were appointed in BPS-16 in 1989 or after, and failed to secure promotion since then.

The promotion case of TGTs who were working in Grade 16 hit snags, as they could not be directly promoted to Grade 17 because according to rules they had to secure promotion through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). But after negotiations between the teachers' association and FDE officials, a formula was prepared to ensure their promotion without FPSC.

Federal Government Teachers Association (FGTA) President Azhar Mehmood Awan told this correspondent that most of TGTs who were demanding upgradation of their posts were appointed in BPS-15 or 16 in 1989, 1990 and after and have not been able to reach BPS-17 due to faulty promotion policies of the government.

He said most of the TGTs who teach arts and science subjects of middle and secondary classes hold masters and BEd degrees, but instead promoting them, the government over the last 21 years had adopted direct recruitment policy in BPS-17 through FPSC.

CADD Joint Secretary Professor Rafique Tahir who signed the notification, said it was a historic achievement and teachers who have been trying hard to secure promotion for last so many years have finally been rewarded.

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FG college named after Arfa Karim
Islamabad: Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) has named the under-construction Federal College for Women I-14 after the IT genius Arfa Karim.

FDE DG Atif Kyani confirmed that the proposal to name the women college after Arfa Karim had been approved. "80 percent of the construction work of the college has been completed while the rest of the 20 percent would be completed within two months," he said.

He said that the college would particularly focus on the IT related subjects. "We want our women to focus on IT subjects too," he said. He said that the college would start functioning within a few months. "It would be the only state-of-the-art IT facility for women only," he said. The news

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Faculty resents reappointment of UET vice-chancellor
Peshawar: Senior faculty members at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) have shown resentment over the reappointment of the incumbent vice-chancellor for the fourth consecutive term.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar, the chancellor of the public sector universities, reappointed Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani as UET vice-chancellor on Monday last for another four-year term.

"It is a black day for us and the university. In the presence of senior faculty members with PhD degrees and long research and teaching experience, we have been deprived of having a vice-chancellor from amongst us. With the fresh reappointment of the present vice-chancellor, the duration of deprivation would extend by four more years and no one knows how long he will keep occupying the office," said a senior professor.

Several other faculty members of UET, wishing not to be named, expressed identical views when contacted separately on Wednesday.

However, Farah Hamid Khan, the secretary of higher education department, when contacted, termed Mr Gillani's reappointment according to law. "It's sort of extension, not reappointment," she claimed.

According to the criteria set by Higher Education Commission (HEC) for appointment of vice-chancellor, there should be a search committee to invite and nominate potential candidates for the position. The committee should explain the basis of recommendation and avail willingness of the nominee to assume the responsibility, UET teachers said.

"Secondly, the vice-chancellor should preferably have doctorate degree in an academic discipline," they said while quoting HEC criteria.

They alleged that the incumbent vice-chancellor was neither a PhD nor he was reappointed through proper procedure. The higher education department, through its summary had sent only the name of Mr Gillani, they added.

"Prior to appointment of a vice-chancellor, the government has to advertise the post through newspapers, however, this rule was also not followed in the reappointment of Mr Gillani," the faculty members said.

However, Ms Farah Khan, said that there was no provision of search committee in the law.

Asked about the HEC criteria that a vice-chancellor should preferably be a PhD, she said that the chancellor had discretionary power to appoint a non-PhD as a vice-chancellor.

Mr Gilani has become the first vice-chancellor, who has been reappointed for the fourth term in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was appointed as UET vice-chancellor for the first time in 2004 by the then governor, Lt-Gen (retired) Iftikhar Hussain Shah. Dawn

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Poster-making, Urdu debate contest held
Islamabad: On the second day of the Intercollegiate Competitions in different categories, being organised by Islamabad Model College for Girls (PG), F-7/4, Islamabad, the students council conducted the Urdu debate and poster-making competitions. The chief guest of the ceremony was anchorperson Asma Chaudary.

The topic of the debate was 'Kia Hum Mohib-e-Watan Qoam Hain'. Fourteen colleges participated in the competition. The participants with their convincing views debated on the topic with strong arguments and persuaded the jury to give the decision in their favour.

Professor Masood Ahmad, Mahmood Gillani and Jawad Hasan were the judges for debate competitions. First prize went to Farheen Kazmi of IMCG, F-10/2, Islamabad. Second prize went to Maheen Tariq of IMCG, Humak. Third prize was awarded to Adeeba Kanwal of IMCG, Humak while the consolation prize went to Kubra Arif of host college but she withdrew her award in favour of Kiran Fiyaz of FG Postgraduate College, Kashmir Road, Rawalpindi.

The jury members of poster making competition were Anjum Ayub (a graphic designer), Riffat Ara Munir, (artist), Maryam Haider (lecturer). First prize went to Hina Hussain of FG Postgraduate College, Kashmir Road, Rawalpindi, second prize went to Zara Jillani FG Postgraduate College, Kashmir Road, Rawalpindi, third prize was awarded to Asma Anis IMCG F-7/2, Islamabad. Consolation prize was awarded to Maliha Batool of host college, which was handed over to Saira Bano of IMCG F-7/2, Islamabad.

The chief guest, Asma Chaudry, in her speech said the majority of audiences were against the topic. She insistently changed the view of the audience into the favour of the topic by giving examples of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan and Arfa Siddiqui and hence proved that we are a patriotic nation. The news

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