Professors, lecturers protest against HEC policy

MULTAN: Professors and lecturers Tuesday held protest meetings, observed black day, staged demonstrations and wore black armbands against policies of the Higher Education Commission.The Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) had called for the protest in Lahore on March 26 as the first phase of the agitation outside the Punjab Assembly.PPLA vice-president Prof Ramzan said the PPLA members were holding talks with the government for the last three years to bring reforms in service structure but it was very sad to note that Punjab bureaucracy and the government representatives did not take up the matter seriously.He said the PPLA central executive committee had decided in March 12 meeting for taking out rallies and staging demonstrations across Punjab on March 19 and finally all professors and lecturers would observe sit-in at Punjab Assembly Hall on March 26 as last option. Prof Ramzan said the KP professors and lecturers improved their service structure in result of a sit-in observed outside Bani Gala on October 2017.The PPLA was demanding the same service structure allocated for the KP teachers.He said that currently four tier formula was in practice in the province for college teachers, which brought slow promotion of teachers from grade 17 to 18. The professors and lecturers consume 15-20 years in getting promotions in the next grade.A majority of teachers get retired before promoting into next grades of 18 and 19. There is no period holding meetings of move over cases. The promotion committee meetings depend upon the attitude of bureaucracy. The five tiers formula was in practice in KPK and all teachers were enjoying from the formula compared to Punjab teachers were experiencing with four tiers formula.

from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2TWFsww