ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is systematically working against the interests of regular faculty members in the universities of Pakistan. It has reneged two written agreements it signed with BPS faculty members of universities in the last 12 months. It also violated the understanding developed during meetings of the National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan’s Standing Committees on education two months ago.
Hence, we are left with no option but to stage a protest and sit-in outside the HEC head office in Islamabad on October 12 till approval of our demands by the HEC.
This was stated by leaders/representatives of All Pakistan University BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA), while addressing a press conference at National Press Club, Islamabad on Tuesday.
Those who addressed the press conference included Dr Samiur Rehman, President, APUBTA, Dr Imtiaz Ahmad, General Secretary, Dr Imtiaz Shafiq, Dr Manzoor Naazer, Dr Hidayat Ullah, Dr Asif Jan, Dr Hafsa, and others.
The leaders of APUBTA asserted that HEC has miserably failed to carry out its responsibility of devising policy and guidelines for promotion of BPS faculty members serving in universities all over Pakistan. The HEC was established in 2002 by Pervez Musharraf and it has been pursuing dictatorial policies.
In 20 years since its inception, the HEC has not devised any policy or guidelines for 40,000 BPS faculty members (constituting 88 percent of the entire university teachers) all over Pakistan. In 2008, the HEC introduced a new cadre of university teachers under Tenure Track System (TTS) with far higher salaries, perks, privileges, and right to promotion after a given time with certain conditions.
However, BPS faculty members are still kept deprived of the right to promotion which is granted to officials of all other government organizations, departments and ministries etc. This is grave violations of the Islamic injunctions and provisions of the constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which stipulates to give equal treatment to all people and prohibits discrimination among citizens on any ground.
It is an abuse of fundamental human rights and violation of the Higher Education Commission Ordinance-2002. The Section 10-e of the ordinance provides that HEC would prepare policy and guidelines for promotion of faculty members of universities but the HEC has so for made no progress towards formulating any policy for promotion of BPS faculty members constituting about ninth/tenth of the entire university teachers.
All Pakistan University BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA), a representative body of about 100 public sector universities of Pakistan, is struggling to safeguard the legitimate rights of BPS faculty members, and raising the standard of teaching and research in universities.
The BPS faculty members are faced with persistent discrimination, exclusion, injustice, and sense of deprivation due to negligence and imprudent policies pursued by HEC in the past. This situation is spoiling the academic environment in universities with far reaching implications.
APUBTA raised issue of unfair and biased policies against the interests of BPS faculty members, especially the matter of denial of right to promotion to them with HEC officials in about 30 meetings since 2020.
Protests against dictatorial policies of the HEC have been held in universities all over Pakistan, as well as at provincial and national levels. Keeping in view the mounting pressure arising out of the protests of BPS faculty members, HEC authorities signed two written agreements with the teaching community.
In the first agreement signed on October 14, 2021, HEC had promised to resolve the issue related to promotion of BPS faculty members by December 2021.
However, the HEC failed to keep its words that forced APUBTA to call a country-wise protest campaign culminating into a demonstration outside the HEC head office, Islamabad on March 10, 2022. During the protest, Executive Director of HEC signed a written agreement with leadership of APUBTA in presence of local / district administration.
The agreement included a guarantee by the HEC that promotion issue of BPS faculty members would be resolved after approval of a related policy by the commission within two months (by mid of May 2022). About seven months after signing of the agreement with APUBTA, the HEC has not been able to honour its written commitment.
The matter was raised and considered in the meetings of respective standing committees (on education) of National Assembly and Senate of Pakistan which directed the HEC to resolve the issue on priority basis. During the meetings an understanding was developed that the issue would be resolved by end of September 2022 but the HEC is still using delaying tactics in order to prolong the matter. This role on the part of high officials of the HEC is a cause of serious concern, disappointment and frustration for the BPS faculty members of the universities all over Pakistan.
Now they have been left with no option but to organize a demonstration followed by a sit-in outside the head office of HEC, Islamabad on Wednesday, October 12, 2022.
APUBTA leadership said that the HEC every time constitutes a committee to gain some time and diffuse the mounting pressure arising out of the massive protests of BPS faculty members of universities. However, APUBTA would not accept any more lollypop this time. The sit-in will continue till the approval of the promotion policy/guidelines for BPS faculty members by the HEC Commission as per the demands made by APUBTA, they said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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