Regular faculty members of the University of Karachi (KU) have decided to continue their boycott of examinations despite the formation of a committee by the Sindh Higher Education Commission (HEC) to address their demands and administrative grievances.
The decision came as a surprise because office-bearers of the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) had assured Sindh HEC officials during a meeting a day earlier that the boycott would be withdrawn if a committee was established to examine the issues raised by teachers and address administrative shortcomings at the university.
Following the meeting, the Sindh HEC issued a formal notification constituting a high-powered committee comprising the chairman and secretary of the Sindh HEC, the secretary of Universities and Boards, and representatives of KU teachers, officers and employees. The committee was tasked with completing its proceedings and submitting recommendations within 40 days.
The notification also stated that teachers would end the ongoing examination boycott and that the university administration would reschedule the affected examinations. However, when a general body meeting of the teachers’ association was held on Tuesday morning, several faculty members strongly opposed ending the boycott and resuming examinations. KUTS President Ghufran Alam and Secretary Maroof Bin Rauf reportedly failed to persuade members to withdraw the protest.
When contacted for comment, Mr Alam said the association would decide its future course of action after reviewing the official notification. “Let the notification come first; after that we will end our protest,” he said.
KUTS Secretary Maroof Bin Rauf, however, maintained that the boycott would continue. “The boycott will remain in place because our teachers do not trust verbal assurances. What was written in the notification was not fully agreed upon during the meeting. We had clearly stated that the matter would be placed before our general body for a decision,” he said.
The continuation of the boycott despite assurances reportedly given to Sindh HEC officials has raised questions within government circles regarding the association’s position and credibility in negotiations.
The examination boycott has now completed one month, leaving nearly 50,000 students uncertain about their academic future. Although contract-based teachers have continued conducting some examinations, the incomplete examination process is expected to delay the commencement of the next semester and could also affect the start of the upcoming academic year.
The Sindh government had constituted the committee after receiving assurances from the teachers’ association that the boycott of examinations and academic activities would be withdrawn. The notification had generated hopes that the month-long disruption to examinations would soon come to an end.
According to the notification, the committee was formed following a meeting held at the office of the chairman of the Sindh HEC and attended by the president, secretary and joint secretary of KUTS, the president of the Employees Welfare Association, and the general secretary of the Officers Welfare Association.
The committee is being convened by the chairman of the Sindh HEC and includes the secretary of Universities and Boards, the secretary of the Sindh HEC, KUTS President Ghufran Alam, Employees Welfare Association President Zahid Baloch, and Officers Welfare Association President Faisal Hashmi.
Under its terms of reference, the committee will review issues and grievances raised by representatives of the university’s teaching and non-teaching staff and hold consultations with all relevant stakeholders before finalising its recommendations within 40 days.
