KARACHI: The academic crisis at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology (FUUAST) has deepened as teachers from both the Abdul Haq and Gulshan-e-Iqbal campuses announced a complete boycott of ongoing teaching activities and the upcoming exams scheduled to begin on June 8.
The decision was made during a joint general body meeting of the teacher associations from both campuses, held at the Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan Auditorium on Thursday.
VC’s Tenure Termed a “Failure”
According to a joint statement issued by Iqbal Hussain, Secretary of the Abdul Haq Campus Teachers’ Association, and Iftikhar Tahiri, Secretary of the Science Campus Teachers’ Association, the general body vehemently criticized the current administration. The teachers labeled the tenure of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zabta Khan Shinwari as an absolute failure.
The associations have appealed to the Chancellor of the University (President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari) and the Pro-Chancellor (Federal Minister for Education Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui) to impose an educational emergency at FUUAST and initiate an accountability process regarding the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure.
Key Demands Approved in the Resolution
During the meeting, the general body passed several resolutions detailing their financial and administrative grievances. They demanded the immediate release of full house ceiling amounts for teachers and staff, alongside the prompt withdrawal of the decision to enforce a 20% cut on house ceiling. The resolutions also called for the payment of all outstanding salaries, pensions, and post-retirement benefits for retired employees.
On the administrative front, the teachers demanded the immediate convening of the Selection Board based on the job advertisements published in 2022, the reinstatement of all forcibly terminated teachers and employees, and the promotion of near-retirement faculty members under the “hardship policy” in light of the Senate’s resolution.
Furthermore, the resolution highlighted the need for the immediate payment of dues to part-time teachers working in evening programs, and the reimbursement of salaries deducted against employees’ earned leaves. The faculty also demanded the immediate restoration of medical panels for university staff and the cancellation of the conditional admission policy in various departments, urging a return to a purely merit-based admission system.
The teacher associations firmly stated that the complete boycott of the examination process and academic activities will remain in place until all of their justified demands are formally met.
