The Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) has announced that it will meet the Sindh chief minister and relevant authorities this week, hold a press conference on December 1, and intensify engagement with stakeholders as part of its strategy to oppose the proposed bill seeking to separate the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) from the University of Karachi.
These decisions were taken in an emergency meeting of the KUTS Executive Committee, which voiced strong reservations over the bill and the apparent move to grant disproportionate authority to donors in the anticipated appointment of the ICCBS executive director. Members said they were shocked that the ICCBS — an institute established, funded, and academically supported by the University of Karachi — was being detached without any consultation with the university’s statutory bodies or the institute’s leadership.
Committee members criticised the provision granting extensive powers to two donors who have contributed merely 1% to the centre, saying such a step was unacceptable and contrary to established academic governance. The teachers’ body also condemned a clause that would bar ICCBS employees from seeking legal remedy, terming it a violation of fundamental human rights.
The committee noted that more than 650 students are currently enrolled in academic and research programmes at the ICCBS, all having taken admission under the name and authority of the University of Karachi. Members questioned, “How can donors be treated as investors?” They added that the composition of the proposed search committee — consisting of the chief minister and just two donors — clearly exposes the intent behind the bill.
KUTS maintained that the proposed legislation undermines the interests of ICCBS students, faculty, employees, and the university at large, while favouring only two individuals at the cost of the centre’s academic and research environment.
The teachers’ body reiterated its commitment to resisting the bill at every available forum until it is withdrawn and expressed hope that the government would take serious notice of the concerns raised by the academic community.
